Famiglia
by Bookboy42
Summary: Lovino and Ludwig are in a happy relationship. Feliciano pretends to be okay with it and happy for them, believing they will eventually fail, but what happens when Lovino gets pregnant- and Ludwig is ecstatic? Features: Germano; preggers!Lovi; jealous!Feli; parental!Toni; and some other weirdness. Will probably be other pairings showing up whenever I feel like it. T for now.
1. Prologue

Hi. This is my first submission on this site, so it's probably not very good. Comments are welcome and appreciated.

WARNING! HERE THERE BE:

-Yaoi (gay male on male)

-Mpreg (dudes being knocked up)

-Germany and South Italy being shacked up(turn back now GerIta fans)

-Italy being a major dick

I don't own anything.

* * *

The spacious, orderly living room was calm and peaceful, late afternoon sunlight warming it. The large couch up against the wall contained a sweet-looking sleeping couple, the smaller, dark haired partner cuddling his larger and fairer counterpart. A thin blanket had been pulled on top of them, but anyone with eyes could see their legs were tangled together and the larger one was holding the smaller close, faint twin smiles of contentment on their faces. Large dogs lay on the floor near them, also napping. The only thing that was missing was a bird trilling on the windowsill.

It made Feliciano sick.

The younger of the Italian twins stood in the doorway of the living room, pretty amber eyes made cold by the hateful glare he was sending the duo, especially the brunette, whom also happened to be his brother.

Oh he knew his jealousy was petty and he should be happy for his best friend and his brother; he had had his chance with Ludwig. But somehow he just couldn't give a flying fuck at the moment.

Ludwig, Germany, was his.

Not Lovino's.

It should have been Feliciano curled up on that couch with the handsome blonde, not Lovino! Lovino was Antonio's, that had been made clear long ago, and it was Feliciano Ludwig had been practically attached at the hip to since World War one. Feliciano was the nice twin, the desirable one, the one he was supposed to want, not Lovino.

But no.

Apparently Feliciano was "too high maintenance" for Ludwig, wasn't "what he wanted in a partner". Apparently Lovino, with his constant swearing and surly attitude and mulish nature was preferable to Feliciano's bright smiles and sweet disposition.

It both baffled and infuriated the Italian.

The only thing that allowed him to hold his tongue and keep pretending he was happy for them was the hope that soon, Ludwig would hopefully realize he was wrong. He had made a mistake and was really in love with Feliciano, then he would come running back to Feli, and the Italian would take him back, and they would get new houses in Berlin and Venice, and raise puppies together, and make pasta together, and live happily ever after!

As for Lovino, he would probably get left behind in the dust, but Feli wasn't worried, Spain would come and pick him up again. Then everything would be the way it was supposed to be...

Feliciano's thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Ludwig was beginning to stir, fleeing to the kitchen to compose himself. As he began to work on some pasta to calm himself down, Feli made himself a promise.

Soon, he thought.

Soon Doitsu will be mine.


	2. Chapter 1

Anon: Thank you!

kitsunechan: Thanks, but I think jealous Spain would be kinda hard to get in here, since in this one he and Lovino only have a brotherly bond : P I think overprotective-big-brother!Spain is just as adorable.

Mei = Taiwan

Lili = Lichtenstein

* * *

The rays of the dawn spread out over the city, painting the landscape in shades of sherbet and warmth, peaking through windows to light up rooms and chase away the calm darkness of night.

One room, however, the light could not penetrate; dark curtains over the window, shrouding the occupants in darkness still, the peace of sleep still reigning in this room. On the spacious bed, two vastly different forms spooned, the larger one holding the smaller flush against his chest.

The stillness was broken, however, when the smaller one jerked awake, a hand flying up to cover his mouth as he tore from the bed, dashing into the adjoining bathroom and leaving his lover half-awake and confused. Ludwig slowly dragged himself out of his warm bed and followed his lover, yawning. He found Lovino kneeling in front of the toilet, clinging to the bowl as he puked his guts out, mumbling a mix of curses and prayers in Latin under his breath between bouts of nausea. Concerned, Ludwig knelt behind Lovino, rubbing soothing circles and murmuring softly to him in German as his brain started to slowly re-boot.

Ice blue eyes flicked to glance at the clock hanging on the adjacent wall, the German unsurprised to find it wasn't even five am yet.

He sighed, worried gaze turning back to his Italian. When he was finally done, Ludwig helped him stand and wash out his mouth. On the way back to their bed, Lovino's knees gave out, Ludwig catching and lifting him bridal style to carry him the rest of the way. What made him stop cold, though, was instead of struggling in his hold like he usually would have, Lovino _snuggled_ into his chest, apparently enjoying being carried.

_He's definitely sick,_ Ludwig thought as he tucked his lover back into bed, the brunette already going back to sleep. Ludwig lightly pressed their foreheads together, checking for any difference in temperature, but found none. Sure he wasn't running a fever, Ludwig left him to sleep, knowing he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep now.

Wandering downstairs, Ludwig found his way to the coffeemaker, switching on the useful but noisy contraption. As he blankly watched dark drops drip down into the coffeepot, his mind restlessly mused over the puzzle of Lovino's recent illness. It had been going on for a few weeks, but Lovino still refused to see a doctor, claiming that he 'felt great' and didn't need to. The early morning vomiting hadn't been the only strange thing either- lately Lovino had been all kinds of odd. Eating unusual things at even more unusual hours- once he had went out at 11 at night, returning a half-hour later with a McDonald's bag full of just french fries and barbeque sauce, despite the fact they had eaten dinner just a few hours before. He was more moody than usual, swinging wildly between as cheerful as Feliciano and completely depressed, his episodes of violence becoming fewer. Ludwig had also noticed his Italian spouse had started complaining occasionally of strange stomach cramps and other aches, even becoming winded much easier.

Ludwig, whom prided himself on being well-versed enough in medicine to acurately diagnose most common illnesses was completely at a loss. He had spent a solid week scouring the internet, medical texts, and every other resource he could think of, but could find nothing that corresponded to Lovino's symptoms. Even the Internet was of no assistance, Google only able to suggest pregancy sites.

Ludwig had absolutely no idea what was wrong with his husband, and that scared- no, terrified him.

What if whatever Lovino had was terminal? Or infectious? Maybe it was some rare disease that only Nations contracted?

_Maybe I'm overreacting_, Ludwig thought to himself. _Maybe I really am making a big deal out of nothing like Lovino says... Dear God, I hope so..._

_ooooo_

"Goddamnit, Potato Bastard, I told you already, I don't need to see a fucking doctor!" Lovino continued even as Ludwig dragged him through the door to the small, cozy waiting room of the general practice that was run by China and a few other Nations. Of course, all of them were capable of dealing with injury and sickness to some degree or another out of necessity, but a few Nations over the years had dedicated themselves to the art of healing, China being the most notable example of this. The ancient Nation had the most extensive knowledge of them all when it came to the mysteries of the Nations' physical bodies, surpassing even the older Arabic Nations, and in the 1960s had opened this general practice run by Nations, for Nations, open to them all regardless of political or any other divisions. It was one of the neutral zones that all respected now.

Lili, the receptionist, watched from the small counter she sat behind, a curious look in her spring green eyes as Ludwig sighed heavily, pleading with his husband, "Bitte, Lovino, just one check-up. Just one. If the doctor can't find anything wrong with you, then I won't make you go again, I swear." Sky blue bored into eyes that were more brown than green, a shade that Ludwig had dubbed 'mint chocolate', Lovino wavering under that concerned gaze. It only took one more "Bitte?" for him to crumble.

"Fine. But only so you'll stop fucking bothering me about it, capisce?" Lovino grumped, flinging himself into a chair and picking up a magazine.

Ludwig gave an inaudible sigh of relief before turning to Lili, informing her, "We're here for the two-thirty apointment."

The blonde girl nodded, gesturing toward the chairs. "Have a seat, Mr. Beilshmidt. A doctor should be with you shortly." The German nodded and sat beside his spouse, finding a fairly recent newspaper and turning to the sports section. It wasn't long before the door to the examination rooms opened, Mei in a white nurse's outfit standing there.

"Mr. Beilshmidt and Mr. Vargas?" she called, both men rising and following her into a room. Lovino hopped up to sit on the examination table, Ludwig taking a seat in the chair off to the side while Mei informed them, "Doctor Wang should be here in a few moments."

Ludwig nodded, Lovino still in a mood and ignoring everything around him. It was only a minute or so before Yao entered with a white coat over his usual red tunic and a clipboard in hand, smiling at the couple. "Ah, 下午好 Mr. Beilshmidt and Mr. Vargas." Both nodded cordially to him, the lithe Chinese man sweeping into the room and taking a seat on a tall stool by the examination table. Taking a pen from in pocket, he asked, "So what brings you to my office today?"

"Overreacting Germans," Lovnino replied, rolling his eyes.

"I don't think it's overreacting when you've been vomiting like clockwork every morning for a month," Ludwig defended himself, only earning another rolling of eyes from his spouse. Yao, however, raised a slender dark eyebrow, gesturing for Ludwig to continue. "You see, Doctor, lately Lovino's been experiencing vomiting in the early hours of the morning, some unusual aches and cramping of the abdomen, unusual cravings, and some mood swings."

"Strange, aru," Yao mumbled, scribbling something onto his clipboard. "Are you alright after the vomiting subsides?" Lovino nodded. "Hmm... how are things with your economy? Anything strange going on in your country?"

"My economy's just fine," Lovino snapped. "So are my people and government."

Yao nodded. "That's good, aru. That means whatever the issue is it is an issue with you, not your country. Let's see... Sit up straight, please." Lovino did as he was instructed, letting the older Nation take his blood pressure and listen to his heart and lungs and other such things, the doctor occasionally pausing to scribble something onto the clipboard. Finally, Yao nodded and announced, "I would like to take a blood sample, please."

"What for?" Lovino asked warily.

Yao held up a calming hand. "Don't worry Mr. Vargas, I just want to rule a few conclusions out." Lovino tensely nodded, rolling up his sleeve and holding out his arm. Yao produced a sterile needle from a drawer and disinfected a spot in Lovino's inner elbow, swiftly drawing the small amount of blood he needed. Lovino silently blessed the modern age and the invention of smaller needles as he rolled his sleeve down. "I'll be right back," Yao called over his shoulder as he sailed out of the room, blood and clipboard in hand.

About fifteen minutes later, Yao returned, a smile on his face. "Mr. Vargas, I believe I have discovered the cause of your discomfort."

"What is it, Doctor?" Ludwig asked, shoulders tense. _Oh God here it comes he's going to tell us he has cancer or a tumor or some other such thing-_

"You're pregnant."

Silence.

"... Cosa."

Yao nodded, grinning. "Congratulations, Mr. Vargas, you're going to be a mother, and you Mr. Beilshmidt, will be a father, aru."

Blue eyes focused on the brunette on the table, whose face seemed to be trying to decide between shock, confusion, fear, and joy, finally settling on a mix of confusion and joy, his hands slowly coming to cradle his stomach in a protective, loving way. "Parents?" he choked out, Yao nodding. "How...?"

"It is my observation that most, if not all male Nations are capable of concieving like the females," Yao explained. "It's your body's way of expressing your female populace. In any case, aru, you're about three months along."

"Are you sure?" the Italian pressed, the Asian nodding.

"I checked the results three times, aru," he assured the couple.

The news slowly sunk in, a grin spreading across a tanned face. "Dio mio... This... this is meraviglioso!" Lovino looked to sky blue eyes which were still locked on him, asking, "Isn't it, Ludwig?"

A grin as bright as Lovino's broke out on Ludwig's face, the German standing and catching his lover in an embrace. "I'm a Vater! I'm a Vater!" he cheered, Lovino scowling but allowing himself to be hugged, grumbling "I told you I wasn't sick." Yao watched the couple with a small smile, waiting patiently for them to finish. Ludwig went red when he finally remembered they had an audience, but didn't stop grinning, releasing Lovino only to take his hand instead.

"Now, Mr. Vargas, this is your first pregancy, correct?" Yao started. Lovino nodded. "Well you should try to not strain or stress yourself, eat and rest plenty, do not take drugs, smoke, or drink, aru. Are you on any medications?" Lovnio shook his head no. "Good. Here, aru," he handed a printed page to Lovino, the Italian taking it. "Those are common issues you may experience and some solutions. You can call my office at any time with any questions you may have, aru. In the meantime, it would be wise for you to come in once a month for a check up and to monitor the child's progress, and after you enter your third trimester you will probably want to increase that to once a week. Any questions, aru?" Two shakes no. "Excellent, aru. Well, remember to make an appointment with Miss Lili on your way out, and if that's all, I have other appointments. Goodbye, and congratulations again."

Ludwig, still grinning, replied, "Thank you, Doctor."

* * *

Translations

Bitte = Please

下午好 = Good afternoon

Cosa = What

Dio mio = My God

Meraviglioso = Wonderful

Vater = Father


	3. Chapter 2

Anon: Thank you, and here you go!

Asterisk: Will do!

5star101: I probably won't pair Spain with anyone, don't worry. And Feli is going to be beyond pissed.

**Note:** panofdoom = Hungary, tomatoboy = Spain, USA#1 = America, draconis = England, maplelover = Canada, winegod = France

* * *

When Ludwig and Lovino walked into Ludwig's house, it wasn't difficult to figure out where Gilbert was. The albino Nation had the TV volume up again, and judging by the sounds of explosions, he was watching some action movie. The couple followed the sound of cheesey one-liners to the living room, where Gilbert was sprawled on the couch, his bare feet on the coffee table, a beer in hand as he shouted advice to the characters on the screen.

"LEFT! LEFT! DUCK, YOU DUMB BLONDE BIMBO-!"

"Get your feet off my table." Burgundy eyes turned to them, Gilbert grinning at his brother and brother-in-law.

"Hey, West. Sup, Shortie? By the way, we're out of beer. You should go get some more, West," The former Prussian suggested, leaving his feet where they were. "Where were you two, anyway?"

"Doctor's office," Ludwig replied.

"Ah. So which one of you is dying and from what?" Gilbert questioned lazily, taking another swig of his beer.

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "Neither of us. Lovino's pregnant."

"That's nice," Gilbert replied, not really processing it. After a moment, though, his eyes widened and he choked on his beer. Ludwig and Lovino watched, neither making a move to ease the annoying man's suffering. It took a minute or two, but eventually Gilbert managed to clear his throat and calm his breathing, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. "W-what!" he shrieked (a very manly shriek!).

Lovino snickered. "Dig the crap out of your ears, dumbass. I'm having a potato baby."

Gilbert looked between them, expression stunned. Then suddenly he jumped up, launching himself at the couple. Both made startled noises as they found themselves hugged by an excited Prussian, Gilbert shouting again, only this time he yelled, "WHOO I'M GONNA BE AN UNCLE!" He paused only to whip out his smartphone and snap a picture of a now annoyed Lovino, posting it to his Facebook and Twitter with the caption "my little bro's new baby mama". Within minutes, comments were pouring in.

**panofdoom: Baby mama?! SQUEEEEE!**

**tomatoboy: MY LITTLE LOVI'S HAVING A BABY!**

**USA#1: dude, awesum! lets throw a baby shower!**

**draconis USA#1: Please refrain from murdering the English language further, you imbecile.**

**maplelover: Aww, congratulations!**

**winegod: Ohonhon~ Good for both of you, cheris!**

Ludwig and Lovino watched the albino run downstairs to his basement, probably to go blog about how he would be the most awesome uncle on the face of the earth.

"Told you that would be the quickest way to get the news out," Lovino smirked. Ludwig chuckled, turning off the movie his brother had left running while his lover flopped down onto the couch and answered the texts he was suddenly receiving "Hey bastard, let's relocate to Rome," Lovino suddenly shouted.

"Why?" Ludwig called back from the kitchen, where he had gone to get his own beer.

"I want to have my baby in Rome," was the simple answer. "And as I'm the one that has to go through all the bullshit that comes with being pregnant, I should get to choose where I have the damn thing."

Ludwig laughed, wandering back into the living room and sitting on the couch next to his spouse. "Sure, I don't see why not. Which house do you want to move into? The villa along the Tiber?" Lovino nodded without slowing his texting speed, making Ludwig smile. That villa was Lovino's favorite. And Ludwig had to admit he liked it quite a bit too. It would be a wonderful place to have a baby.

Both of them looked up when they heard the front door open, Feliciano's voice calling, "Ciao! Fratello? Luddy?"

"In the living room, bastard!" Lovino called. A moment later the northern Italian twin came in, tackle-hugging his brother.

"Veee~ ciao Fratello!" he greeted, Lovino rolling his eyes but allowing himself to be hugged. "Ve, you look so happy fratello!" Feliciano commented. "What happened? Oh, let me guess! Hmm... you had some really good pasta?" Lovino snorted and shook his head no. "Big brother Spain is coming to visit?"

"Well probably, but still no," Lovino shrugged.

"You got some new paints?"

"No."

Feliciano pouted, looking stumped. "Well what is it, ve?"

Lovino set aside his phone, smiling slightly at his younger brother. "Feli," he said softly, "I'm pregnant with my potato husband's baby." Ludwig smiled and wrapped an arm around Lovino's shoulders, hugging him.

Feliciano stared at his brother blankly. After a few moments, amber eyes slid shut, a big grin spreading across Feliciano's face as he jumped up, bouncing in place like an excited puppy. "A bambino?! Yay, ve! I'll go make some pasta to celebrate!" With that, he disappeared into the kitchen.

The couple watched his departure, Ludwig chuckling softly. "Typical Feli," Lovino sighed, Ludwig nodding in agreement.

ooooo

Feliciano gripped the edge of the counter, his knuckles white with strain. He tried hard to control his breathing- it wouldn't be good to start freaking out and alert the others in the living room. Once he had some measure of control, the Italian tentatively began to process what the hell had just happened.

Lovino was pregnant. He was pregnant with Germany's, _his_ Germany's baby.

A fresh image arose unbidden in Feliciano's mind, of Ludwig hugging Lovino as his brother announced his pregnancy. He couldn't help noticing all over again how carefully the German touched him, like he was a priceless treasure; how baby blue eyes sparkled with joy and were focused only on Lovino; how honest that little smile had been.

Ludwig was happy about this- excited, even.

Suddenly, an epiphany struck Feliciano harder than a freight train.

Ludwig really didn't love him.

He really was in love with Lovino, and would probably never love Feliciano, at least as more than a brother. The thought made Feli's chest feel like it was caving in, leaving a cold, black hole in his chest cavity. He was struck with the sudden urge to run away, and almost did. He couldn't stand to just sit here and watch his brother have the child that should have been his, the life that should have been his.

A stray thought, dark and cloying, began to seep into Feliciano's consciousness.

That baby should be his. That baby could be his. Why not simply take what was his... ?

* * *

Cheris = Dears

Ciao = Hello

Bambino = Baby


	4. Chapter 3

Anon: He is, isn't he? And let's just say that Ludwig isn't very happy...

Moochan: Don't worry, Ludwig and Lovino won't have a moment to themselves with all the friends and family that's going to be hovering around for the next year or so ; D

Venitia = Venice( wiki/Kingdom_of_Lombardy%E2%80%93Venetia)

Michelangelo = Seborga

Grazia = Filettino( wiki/Filettino)

Emma = Belgium

Domenico = Vatican

* * *

Villa Silvia. Most likely the oldest and most beautiful villa in the world. The ancient estate of the Vargas family sat on the edge of the river Tiber, a few minutes outside of the great city of Rome. It was built when Rome was a young city, and had housed numerous Nations in its time- nearly every descendant of the Roman Empire had spent some time under its roof; Ancient Greece and Egypt bore their sons here. It began as a simple, modest house of wood built by Rome himself when he was but a young man, but over the centuries it had grown and become more and more magnificent, each inhabitant leaving some kind of mark upon it.

At the dawn of the 21st century, Villa Silvea was sprawling, covering just under 2000 acres. The boundary of it was marked by a stone wall, ancient markings carved into it. Many assumed the markings were simply decorative, and indeed, they were visually attractive, but there were still a few left in this world whom would recognize them for the strong protective glyphs they were, the unassuming marks having protected the estate and everything inside for untold centuries.

Most of the land inside was either garden or farm, all connected by a complex system of dirt paths and stone roads that criss-crossed across the land like veins. Gardens were filled with beautiful, exotic plants of every kind, from simple patches of meadow filled with bright, common wildflowers, to a traditional Japanese rock garden Japan had helped Feliciano make in 1930. Plots of farm were filled with rows of fruit and nut trees, others brimming with grapes or grain. Most of it had been left untended for many decades, allowing the land to remain fertile and bountiful. A small dock on the beach of the Tiber allowed access to the sea and fishing, a few small, light weight craft moored there and waiting to be sailed again.

In the exact center was a mansion that bordered on a palace made of marble and done in traditional Roman style, all tall columns and exquisitely tiled floors. The house was rectangular in shape with a hole in the middle, like the hole of a doughnut, contained there a courtyard of tile and a pool of water, potted plants and statues decorating the space. The rooms facing the courtyard often were open to it, those rooms the most wonderfully cool and pleasant in the summer months. Each room was uniquely decorated and styled, the furnishings priceless. Below there was a network of cellars and storerooms, some still holding food and supplies, but untold treasures also hid in their dark mysterious passages, hastily stashed there by long-gone Nations and humans alike wishing to save precious items from both conqueror and thief.

Lovino wandered through it, looking at everything with a fond eye as he cleaned neither he nor anyone else in his family had been here for a few years. Maybe I should hire a caretaker, he thought absently as he swept. He remembered spending his first years in this house with his brother and grandfather... of course it had changed somewhat since then. Some decorations had been moved, some more had been added, others had been lost, and during World War Two the house had proven to not be bomb-proof, a small part of it unfortunately being destroyed. They had tried their best to fix it and recreate the lost bit, but Lovino could still tell the difference. During that period they had also wired the house with electricity and modernized the plumbing and heating systems, bringing the house up to the modern day.

The biggest change, however, was the kitchen. Deciding to follow the tradition of leaving their mark, the brothers had completely redone the kitchens, making a space of red brick and spotless stainless steel and polished, satiny smooth walnut wood. They had even put in a brick and clay pizza oven. Lovino could hear Feliciano in it right now, his brother making lunch.

The brunette looked toward the front door when he heard a knock, putting aside his broom and answering the door.

"LOVI!" Lovino 'oof'ed as he was tackled and swept up by a red and brown blur, mildly panicking for a moment before he recognized his assailant as his former 'Boss' and adoptive brother, Antonio. The elder was swinging him around and babbling happily in Spanish, rubbing his cheek against Lovino's like an affectionate cat.

Lovino flailed in the Spaniard's grip, shouting, "STOP! PUT ME DOWN, YOU TOMATO BASTARD! Oh Dio... STOP THE SPINNING OR I'M GONNA THROW UP!" Antonio finally stopped at that, switching instantaneously from hyper to concerned mother hen.

Bright emerald eyes were wide as he gently poked and prodded his little brother, questioning furiously, "I didn't hurt you, did I?! Oh Dios I'll never forgive myself-"

Lovino rolled his eyes and slapped the taller male, effectively shutting him up and getting his attention. "I'm fine, Tomato Bastard," he assured Antonio. "So is Potato Baby." He suddenly smiled slightly, standing on tiptoe to hug his brother. "And I'm glad you're here," he grumbled the last part as he was hugged back, his words muffled by Antonio's shoulder, though he knew the brunette still heard them.

Antonio suddenly pulled back and grinned even wider, announcing, "Guess who I met at the airport?" He stood aside to let Lovino see out the door better, the Italian gasping. Out there stood almost literally the whole of the remaining Vargas family. There was Venitia, the statuesque, full-figured woman dressed stylishly as ever, her long coffee-colored hair caught up in a purposely messy ponytail, a grin making her dark brown eyes sparkle. Last he had heard she was running a café in Venice, he hadn't seen his sister in person in two years. Beside her was young Michelangelo, the boy bouncing in place excitedly, his shaggy tan hair having to be flipped out of light green eyes every few minutes and holding the hand of little Grazia. The small girl blinked, staring at everyone and everything around her, big metallic eyes shining with curiosity.

And besides them, there was Francis, Emma, even Matthew had come, the Canadian's dirty blonde hair standing out among all the darker hair.

Lovino barely had time to process all the familiar faces before he was mobbed by his friends and family, swept up in a wave of congratulations and energetic babbling in Italian and hugs and kisses. Lovino laughed and shouted to be heard, "Come in, come in everyone!" They needed no further invitation, everyone coming into the nice warm house, Lovino leading them to the dining room, which had already been cleaned and restored to its usual grandeur. Feliciano came from the kitchens to see what all the commotion was about, grinning and squealing happily at the sight of his family, easily joining in their noisy catching up.

Gilbert and Ludwig lingered in the a doorway, both wrapped up in coats since they had been cleaning the courtyard and rooms open to it, watching the chaos. It didn't take long for Gilbert to join, though, the Prussian diving in to greet his friends and wrap an arm around his Canadian boyfriend's shoulders. As much as he would have liked to stay in the shadows, Ludwig quickly wasn't given that option, Venitia noticing him and exclaiming, "Ah, there's the Papa-to-be! Come here, let me get a good look at you!"

Swallowing a groan, Ludwig set aside his coat and came into the room properly, calmly answering questions and talking with his spouse's various extended family, suffering through hugs and kisses to his cheeks.

It wasn't long before Spain asked, "Why were you two out there?"

"We were cleaning the courtyard and the surrounding rooms," Ludwig explained.

Venitia gasped slightly. "You were not finished? Well then, let's fix that!" The brunette woman quickly took charge, assigning tasks to even Michelangelo and Grazia (assist Feliciano with finishing lunch preparations). Ludwig was a shocked at how quickly the house was a flurry of activity, various people working in various rooms, Venitia directing the flow of work like the queen bee she liked to be. In no time at all the villa was back to its full glory, the weary but pleased Nations gathering around the long mahogany table in the dining room for lunch.

Feliciano had outdone himself once again, laying out trays of pizza, salad, and rolls, all fresh and homemade. Wine was also passed out to go with, though the German brothers ignored it in favor of beer while Lovino, Michelangelo, and Grazia all decided on apple juice instead. A short blessing was said, then everyone dug in.

As they ate and laughed and chatted- Lovino was discussing Venitia's café with her, Antonio was considering clearing one or two of the farming plots and starting up a small farm once the ground had completely thawed and trying to convince Francis and Gilbert to help him, Feliciano giggling with Grazia and Michelangelo- Ludwig couldn't help but be reminded of those American gangster movies with the big family reunion dinner scenes. Normally the idea of a situation like that being replicated with any large group of Nations made the German shudder- such things often ended with extensive property damage in his experience- but for once, it was nice. Sky blue eyes lingered on the face of his lover, a small smile quirking the German's lips at the happy, content look in those mint chocolate eyes even as he lightly scowled.

Oh yes. Ludwig could become used to this.

ooooo

Lovino lounged on a couch in one of the sitting rooms after lunch, Matt and Emma each occupying a chair near him. Practically everyone else had spread out and were claiming bedrooms for themselves, his family insisting that they be here for the new parents. "How long are you gonna stay, Maple Bastard?" Lovino questioned his oldest friend lazily.

The former French colony shrugged. "Only a couple days or so, then I have to get back home, but I'll be popping in for visits often," Matt assured him with a smile, idly swirling the wine in his glass and greatly resembling his French 'father' as he did.

The Italian nodded, turning next to his adoptive elder sister. "And you, Emma?"

"Oh, a few weeks, probably," the Belgian hummed. "Maybe a few months."

All eyes turned to the door when another knock came, Lovino's eyebrows furrowing in confusion. What the hell? Who could that be? Grumbling, he stood and answered the door for the second time that day, snapping, "Yes?" His eyes widened, jaw dropping when he recognized the person on his stoop.

"Domenico...?" he breathed.

A sheepish looking middle-aged man stood there, dressed in the vestments of a Cardinal. He fidgeted a little, trying several times to say something before he managed to choke out, "Ciao, Lovino."

"Ciao, Domenico," he replied cautiously. It had been a few decades since he had last spoken to his brother, and they hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms...

"How have you been?" Domenico mumbled next.

Lovino scowled, looking away. "Great for someone who almost got excommunicated by their own brother for marrying the love of their life." Dommenico winced, tense silence settling between them again.

A deep, regretful sigh escaped the Cardinal after a minute, eventually speaking again. "I'm... sorry about that. I wanted to apologize for a few years now, but... Forgive me, fratello. Doctrine still holds a large amount of sway over me, and..." he paused when a hand settled on his shoulder, brown eyes looking up into hazel.

Lovino still frowned slightly, but all the venom had left the expression. "You're still my fratellino, Domenico."

With that simple statement, all the weight of guilt and remorse lifted from Domenico's shoulders, a relieved smile finding his face. Clearing his throat, the older looking one changed the subject. "Pregnant, hm?" Lovino nodded as he let his brother into the house. "Congratulations. I never thought you'd be the one to have a child, but motherhood suits you."

Lovino rolled his eyes.

* * *

Translations:

Ciao = Hello

Fratello = Brother

Fratellino = (younger) Brother


	5. Chapter 4

5star101- Thanks so much for your reviews! I do try- I see family being really important to Lovino, so of course he's not a complete dick to them ; ) And Lovino and Matthew are always friends in my stories. Period. They'd just understand each other so much it would be impossible for them not to be. As for Feli, he's still laying low... for now. DUN DUN DUN!

Note: I have condensed the entire pregnancy into this chapter. There really aren't any complications or difficulties (those come after labor in Potato Baby's case), so there wasn't much to write.

* * *

"WAKE UP, POTATO BASTARD!"

Ludwig jerked awake, the shout combined with the pillow whacking him solidly on the head serving to launch him into the world of the living.

"WAS! WER IST VERLETZT?!" Ludwig yelled in response, heartbeat rushing in his ears as he panicked for a minute. After he had woken up a bit more, however, he found to his relief that there was nothing wrong- it was still dark out, no one else appeared to be up, the only other conscious person beside himself his spouse beside him. He glanced at the clock.

2 am.

Now annoyed, Ludwig demanded, "What is it, Lovino?"

The Italian replied without pause, "Snack cakes."

"... What?" was the German's puzzled response.

Lovino rolled his eyes and repeated himself slower. "Snack. Cakes. Retard. Some fruity, some chocolatey. I need some. Go get me some."

Ludwig blinked, then flopped backwards onto the bed, covering his face with his arm with a groan. "And this couldn't wait until morning because...?" A startled noise escaped him when the front of his tanktop was grabbed and he was roughly dragged up, the German's field of vision swiftly reduced to two smoldering (and not in a hot way) eyes that seemed black in the dimness.

"Ludwig. You don't understand," Lovino seethed, his quiet words burning in their intensity and worse than if he had shouted. "I. Need. Snack. Cakes. _Now_."

"... Ok."

ooooo

Lovino lounged in his and Ludwig's shared bed, basking in the post-coital afterglow and the warmth of the strong arms wrapped around him. He smiled slightly when calloused but gentle fingers began to lightly caress the firm bump underneath his navel, humming softly in approval.

"Mm, I still can't believe it," Ludwig sighed.

"Which part, the Potato Baby part or us somehow beating off family enough to sneak off for this long?"Lovino questioned dryly, receiving a chuckle in reply.

"Both," Ludwig replied, repositioning himself to lay flat on his back, drawing Lovino against his side. "Honestly, you Italians are so clingy."

Lovino raised an eyebrow, propping himself up on an elbow on his husband's chest so he could properly direct his incredulous look at him. "You're the bastard who won't let me out of your sight for fifteen minutes anymore." Ludwig blushed slightly, avoiding Lovino's gaze, making the smaller one laugh and lay back down, resting his head on a solid shoulder. As Ludwig returned to quietly fawning over his stomach, a stray thought made Lovino's smile fade.

Ludwig noticed the slight change in Lovino's demeanor, how he tensed ever so slightly. Blue eyes darted to to face of his lover, finding the Italian worrying his bottom lip with his teeth as he thought. "Rome?" Ludwig murmured softly, hazel eyes abruptly focusing on him, looking startled. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, bastard," Lovino snapped, turning away. Ludwig sighed. Great, another mood swing. He debated for a moment what course of action to take before gently running a hand down his lover's back in a petting motion, having found that the simple action calmed Lovino when he was upset. As always, muscles relaxed under the soothing, repetitive strokes, the German easily coaxing his lover to face him again. "What's wrong?" he asked again, softer this time. Lovino hesitated, Ludwig waiting patiently for him to speak.

Finally, the brunette murmured, "Why did you pick me?"

Blonde eyebrows furrowed, confused. "What?"

"Over Feliciano."

Oh. Ludwig didn't say anything at first, Lovino feeling a little worse with each passing second. "Because you're better." Watery mint chocolate eyes finally met ice blue, finding embarrassment and a light dusting of pink on cheeks, but also sincerity in those eyes.

"How? I'm rude and ill-tempered and nowhere near as good as Feli," Lovino whispered, shoulders and curl drooping in a depressed manner.

Taking a deep breath, Ludwig continued, still feeling awkward but knowing Lovino needed to hear it. "You're just as good as Feliciano. Better, even. You're passionate and opinionated and actually have a spine. Feliciano's nice, but he's too... soft. Too delicate. You're stronger than he is, and anyone who would pick Feliciano over you is a fool."

"Bastard," Lovino mumbled, no bite in his words.

Ludwig just smiled.

ooooo

Gilbert paused when he heard a strange shuffling noise coming from a closet. A pale eyebrow rose, Gilbird giving an inquisitive cheep from his head. Curious, the albino Nation approached the closet, easily swinging it open to reveal...

"West?"

Ludwig looked up from his laptop, greeting his brother, "Hello." The German was sitting Indian-style on a small pile of pillows, his laptop balanced on his knees, a small cardboard box beside him full of what looked like food and a thermos of coffee.

"West, why are you hunkered down in a closet?" Gilbert asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Ludwig shrugged. "Lovino's in a mood again, so I made a tactical retreat to secure territory and took cover."

His elder brother snorted. "A 'tactical retreat' from a pregnant Italian?" The blonde sibling nodded, looking extremely grave as he did.

Gilbert rolled his eyes and closed the door on his brother, shaking his head. Fifteen minutes later, he was back, this time with his own laptop and pillow, a bruise blooming on his jaw. "Scoot over."

Ludwig was the one to raise an eyebrow this time, a smirk on his face.

"Told you so."

"Shut up."

ooooo

Lovino sat shirtless on an examination table, Yao and Mei flitting around him, the Oriental Nations finishing setting up equipment and preparing for his examination. Today, along with his usual check-up, he was going to have his first ultrasound. Ludwig stood by him, anxiously shifting from foot to foot.

Finally, Yao finished, turning to the couple. "Ah, how are we today, Mr. Vargas, aru?" he questioned cheerily as he whipped out his trusty stethoscope.

Lovino shrugged. "My back hurts and I feel fat and the little bastard in me likes to kick at two am and I can't stop eating Quarter Pounders and Strawberry Short Cakes, but other than that I'm great," he replied snippily, sarcasm dripping off every word.

Yao nodded, placing the stethescope on the swelling of Lovino's belly. "Good, good, aru. Your back hurting and extra weight means the baby is getting big. Strong kicking is a sign of good legs." He briskly scribbled down a note or two on a clipboard when he finished listening. "Ok, you and the baby both seem perfectly fine, aru. Now on to the main event!" He retrieved a bottle from his pocket, instructing his patient, "Lay back, aru." Lovino did so, allowing the blue gel to be spread over his stomach. Mei then brought over a small device that looked like some kind of hand-held massager and placed it on the bump.

Mei switched on another machine, the sound of a heartbeat filling the room. A monitor began to show a grainy black-and-white picture, the picture shifting and clarifying as Yao moved the massager-thing around until the sillhuette of a baby formed. "There he is!" Yao smiled, continuing to move the machine to offer different views. "A little smaller than I expected, but still just fine, aru. See, there's a leg, and the torso, and... Aiyah!" He paused. Everyone gaped.

There were two heads.

Yao quickly moved the machine some more, finding a second fetus hidden behind the first. "Twins...?" Lovino breathed, Ludwig beside him just looking stunned.

The Chinese man nodded, commenting, "Twins are very rare, aru, you're very lucky. I believe you and your brother are the only set of twins among the Nations currently, bit it looks like soon a new set will be joining us, aru."

"Are they boys or girls?" Lovino excitedly demanded. Yao obligingly checked. "Hmm... the one in front appears to be female, but I can't see the one behind enough. It's most likely a girl too, though. Both appear to be perfectly healthy." He smiled broadly at the couple again. "Congratulations, aru."

ooooo

"How about this one, Potato Bastard?" Ludwig stepped into the room his lover currently occupied, critically scanning it.

It was decently sized, with a domed ceiling some vases and statues scattered around. A large window was in the center of the wall across from the door overlooking the river, the drapes a neutral beige. The walls were all one big fresco, depicting the sun on one side, and the moon on the other. Summer sapphire melted to midnight blue-violet, skies merging and swirling at the center, even on the ceiling, each side studded with either wispy clouds or small, bright stars. The floor was green tile, lighter green closer to the sun and darker near the night side of the room.

It was breathtaking, Ludwig had to admit, wasn't far from his and Lovino's room, and more than enough room for two. He nodded. "It would be an excellent nursery."

Lovino's grin prompted a smile of his own. "This was Feli's and my bedroom when we lived here with Nonno," Lovino murmured wistfully, going to stand at the window. "We helped him paint it..." The warm midsummer sunlight brought out burgundy highlights in the mahogany of Lovino's hair, his mint chocolate eyes sparkling. One of his slender hands rested on his rounded stomach, a peaceful look on his face as he stared out the window.

"YO! You lovebirds picked out a room yet?" Gilbert shouted, making both jump and groan in annoyance.

Before they could even say anything, Feli, Venitia and Gilbert came in, looking over the room. Gilbert whistled lowly, impressed, while Feliciano gasped in happy surprise. "Our room, fratello? Ve, it's still bella~!" Venitia nodded in agreement, lightly tracing the outline of the full moon on the wall.

After everyone was done admiring the room, they cleared it of the statuary and other decorations, leaving only the drapes. Now empty, Gilbert and Ludwig managed to man-handle in a large crib and other furniture, Lovino directing them. When all was placed to Lovino's satisfaction, the smaller items were brought in and distributed to their new places. Baby clothes were folded and put in dresser drawers, toys and stuffed animals in a toy chest and the crib, blankets and bottles and diapers all finding their spots. A blue rug was put down in the center of the room, the crib made up with green and brown bedding, the little baby blankets Emma had made them- one was pink with little white bears on it, the other yellow with a blue trim- put side-by-side at the foot of the crib.

Finally, Lovino nodded in satisfaction, lowering himself into the surprisingly comfy rocking chair that had been placed beside the window with a groan and beginning to lightly rock as he stared out over the Tiber. The sun was setting, coloring the water with warm, bright tones. He could see Antonio and the children below in one of the gardens, gathering what looked like herbs, probably for dinner that night. Their jobs complete, Gilbert, Feliciano, and Venitia had left, but Ludwig went to stand by his lover.

"You think we're ready?" Ludwig asked quietly.

Lovino shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I mean, who knows if we'll be good parents? Look at what we had for examples- I had a manwhore of a grandfather, then a lazy Spanish pervert, and you had an egotistical bloodthirsty Prussian."

Ludwig chuckled. "Well, despite their faults, I think they did a pretty good job."

Lovino raised an incredulous eyebrow at him. "Are you fucking kidding me? I'm a moody asshole that can't get along with basically anyone I'm not related to, and you were up to your goddamn eyeballs in trouble less than sixty years after Gilbert let you take over," he pointed out.

The blonde winced. "True, I suppose... Ok, I take it back, we might be screwed."

Lovino laughed.

* * *

Translations:

Was! Wer ist verletzt?! - What? Who is hurt?!

Fratello - Brother

Bella - Beautiful


	6. Chapter 5

5star101: We're not quite to the drama yet, but soon! And Gilbert's apparently the kind of dumbass who needs to listen to his brother a little more ; )

* * *

Mei sat quietly in the courtyard, smiling softly at the feeling of the warm sun on her face. It was a beautiful morning, much warmer than October usually was in her own land. She and Yao had been staying at the villa for the last week or so in anticipation of Lovino's approaching due date, the Italian having expressed a wish to have the children in his own home since it was unlikely there would be complications and a hospital environment was unnecessary, and she had to admit, she was rather enjoying it here. The Vargas clan was warm and friendly with a pronounced sense of hospitality, their home was beautiful, and simply put, the food was fantastic.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?"

The Taiwanese girl rapidly turned and stood, finding Lovino standing there, a pleasant smile on his face. He was wearing one of Ludwig's baggier button-up shirts, the only shirts that would accommodate his fully rounded stomach nowadays. Mei bowed politely to her host, replying, "Yes. Would you like to join me?"

Lovino nodded and took the chair beside the one Mei occupied. Lovino groaned softly as his weight shifted off his feet, chuckling, "I am so done being pregnant."

"Feet and back bothering you?" Mei asked, a wry smile gracing her doll-like features.

The brunette nodded, reaching behind himself to gently rub circles into his lower back. "I'm getting really tired of all these stupid aches. Especially these retarded false contractions." He suddenly winced, rubbing the spot one of his daughters had kicked and cooing at his stomach in Italian in an attempt to calm her. Still, he continued to wince and grimace, causing Mei to frown slightly in concern.

"False contractions again?" she murmured, Lovino nodding.

"Si, still hurts like a motherfucker- ow! ... Oh Cristo!" Mei gasped. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"Lovino, calm down," she soothed. "It's alright. Looks like you're going to get your wish."

Lovino rolled his eyes as he managed to push himself to his feet. "Well it's about fucking time!"

Mei smiled and helped him to the room they had set up a week previously to serve as a delivery room. As they walked, they passed Michelangelo and Grazia, the children stopping at their game to peer curiously at their elder cousin. "Go find Dr. Wang, please," Mei instructed them, "Let him know Lovino's started." Both gave quick nods and raced off to alert the inhabitants of the villa.

ooooo

Yao looked up from his book when the two children rushed in, raising his eyebrow in silent question.

"It's time!" Michelangelo blurted without preamble, bouncing in place with excitement.

The ancient Chinese Nation nodded with a small smile. "Thank you, aru." Standing, he set his book aside and calmly walked to the delivery room. Less than halfway there, he could already hear the noisy cursing. Shaking his head, Yao mumbled to himself, "Well this should be interesting, aru."

ooooo

Venitia swung her hips in time to the song playing on the radio as she stirred a pot. She wasn't sure what the song was, but it had a funky beat that she liked. She looked up when Grazia hurried into the kitchen, the usually languid and relaxed girl for once buzzing with excitement.

"Whoa, slow down there Grazina!" Venitia playfully admonished. "What's all the fuss about?" she asked, couching down to be on eye-level with the girl.

"Lovino's having his bambini now," she informed the elder female calmly with a small smile. Venitia blinked, taking a minute to understand.

"Oh!" she gasped before pleased surprise settled on her pretty features. "How wonderful! Let me check on the rolls, then we'll go say hello, okay?" Grazia nodded, waiting patiently for Venitia to lower the temperature on the stove to a simmer, then check the rolls in the oven. She found them to be ready, so pulled them out and set them on a cooling rack to cool before slipping off her apron and finally turning to her younger cousin, offering her a hand. "Come along, Grazina."

ooooo

Antonio hummed cheerily as he worked, gathering the last of the tomato harvest. Gilbert and Francis worked beside him, the Prussian laughing and joking loudly as he hauled huge basketfuls to the pickup truck.

"Is that Michelangelo?" Francis commented, causing his companions to look towards the house. Indeed, the boy was running toward them at top speed.

"Hey, Mike!" Gilbert called with a grin.

"Lovino!" the younger Nation shouted. All of them stiffened.

When he finally skidded to a stop in front of the trio of friends, panting lightly, Antonio grabbed his shoulders and demanded worriedly, "What about Lovino?"

"It's time!"

For a moment, there was no reaction from the older Europeans. Then, without warning, Antonio scooped Michelangelo up, all three of them sprinting toward the house.

ooooo

Ludwig sighed as he compared boxes of strawberries in a busy farmer's market. He didn't like being away from Lovino so close to his due date, but his lover had demanded strawberries for a fruit salad, so here he was. Finally, he found a box of consistently perfectly ripe strawberries, taking the little carton to the owner of the stand- an overweight but merry looking woman- and paying her.

The woman was getting a bag to put his purchase in when Ludwig's phone rang. He answered, not having time to squeeze in even a 'Hallo' before his elder brother was shouting in his ear. "WEST WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE OR YOUR KIDS ARE GOING TO BE BORN WITHOUT YOU HERE!"

Ludwig's jaw dropped. "WHAT! He went into labor?!"

"JA, GENIUS! NOW GET GOING!"

Ludwig needed no further encouragement. He almost forgot the strawberries in his rush to get back to the car, and he only narrowly avoided getting pulled over twice. It took him nearly 45 minutes to get to the farmer's market, but the drive back took less than twenty.

When he arrived, he easily followed the sounds of curses to the delivery room, where he found everyone gathered outside the door. Ignoring them, he went into the room. Yao looked over to him, smiling at the father-to-be. "Ah, there you are, aru. The first one is almost here." The blonde nodded and rushed to Lovino's side, the Italian swearing in his native language. Mei stood next to his head, offering soft words of encouragement.

When Lovino noticed his husband, he snatched his hand, squeezing in a death-grip. Ludwig winced at the tight grip but didn't object, offering his own slight squeeze in comfort. This continued for several minutes, Lovino's swearing rising in volume and vulgarity, his grip increasing at the same rate until even the BFT outside were impressed with Lovino's creativity and Ludwig was trying to contain his own curses of pain.

Finally, Lovino gave a wordless scream then lay back limply, the first wailing cry of an infant replacing the screams of the mother a moment later. "A girl, aru!" Yao announced, handing the child off to Mei, who smiled and cooed at the tiny baby, gently rinsing off the gunk and wrapping her in the yellow blanket. Seeing as Lovino was still panting and trying to recover, she brought the girl to Ludwig, the large man looking half terrified and half fascinated by the squirming bundle in the Asian's arms, like she was a particularly well-designed but still active bomb instead of a baby. Cautiously, he allowed the baby to be placed in his arms, holding her like she was glass.

Wisps of dark hair covered the top of her head, her little face scrunched up as she cried, waving chubby fists about.

OH GOD WHAT DO I DO?! Ludwig panicked in his mind for a second before desperately trying to remember anything and everything he had read in preparation for this. Hesitantly, he murmured, "Shh, baby, shh..." Wails tapered off to whimpers and hiccups. Encouraged, Ludwig continued, the tension in his shoulders relaxing a little.

"Potato bastard."

Ludwig tore his eyes away from the face of his daughter to look instead at his husband, Lovino looking as exhausted as he sounded. When he made a beckoning gesture, Ludwig swiftly went back to him, crouching a little to allow Lovino to see her. The Italian made no move to take her, but still smiled brilliantly, reaching out to lightly stroke the side of her face.

"She's beautiful, Rome," the blonde whispered, so softly only Lovino and the baby could hear. Lovino nodded in agreement. "What do you want to call her?"

Lovino thought for a moment. "Fia," he answered firmly. "Hm, has she opened her eyes yet?" Ludwig shook his head no. Lovino chuckled, cooing at her, "C'mon bambina, open your eyes for Mama." Instead of opening her eyes, Fia went to sleep, snuggling into Ludwig's chest. Both her parents laughed softly.

"She's as stubborn and contrary as her mother," Ludwig observed.

The brunette nodded. "But she has the right idea... ow!" He winced as a new set of contractions started and sighed. "Hopefully her sister will be as quick as she was."

She wasn't.

Ten hours later, Lovino had resumed his ear-shattering swearing and slow destruction of Ludwig's hand. Fia had been handed off to be fawned over by aunts/uncles/cousins a while ago, Gilbert probably taking excessive amounts of pictures and posting them to Facebook with his phone.

After what seemed like an eternity, a softer but still strong wail greeted them. While Mei cleaned her off, Lovino released Ludwig's hand to instead grab the front of his shirt, Ludwig surprised when a fist smashed solidly into his nose.

The German reeled back, cupping his hands over his profusely bleeding nose as Lovino began to shriek again. "YOU FUCKING BASTARD THAT WAS THE WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE I SWEAR TO CHRIST WHEN I CAN STAND UP AGAIN I'M GOING TO RIP OFF YOUR BALLS! JESUS FUCK THAT WAS HORRIBLE."

Thankfully Lovino was throughly exhausted by this point, so he stopped shouting, almost passing out right then and there. Yao chuckled at the couple and assured Lovino, "You're fine. A few days of bed rest and you'll be good as new, aru. As for your husband..." He batted away Ludwig's hands and wiped off the worst of the blood, quickly setting his nose so it would heal straight. "You just broke his nose. You should be fine in a few hours, Mr. Beilshmidt." Ludwig nodded and wiped off the last of the blood (his nose had already stopped bleeding), before turning to Mei and taking his second daughter from her.

The girl was only mildly fussing, and not squirming at all. Dark gold curls sprouted from her crown, and unlike her sister, her little eyes were open, chocolate brown eyes blinking up at sapphire blue. Ludwig smiled at her, gently shushing her like he had with Fia. Sitting next to his spouse, Ludwig gave Lovino a good view of their younger daughter, the Italian smiling at her too. "You sure took your time," he grumbled at her, no edge to his tone. "You name her, Potato Bastard, I'm too tired to think of one."

"How about... Erika?" Ludwig suggested.

Lovino yawned. "That sounds good."

* * *

Translations:

Cristo - Christ

Bambini - Babies

Bambina- Baby(feminine, affectionate)


	7. Chapter 6

5star101: Oh he will, it'll just be a while... like a century or two... ; P Good thing Ludwig doesn't mind bottoming until then! : D And it's not hard to update fast when you've got such awesome comments to encourage you!

Anon: Thank you! And yes, soon. Not this chapter, but soon! (I sure have been saying that a lot, haven't I...?)

Note: The song lyrics and some background on it can be found here: wiki/Erika_(song)

* * *

Lovino was ready to snap.

It had only been a week since the twins had been born, but already the villa was swamped with visiting Nations wanting to see them, despite the staggering amount of pictures Gilbert had posted to Facebook of them. Even now, a gaggle of them hovered over the twins' crib, cooing at them in baby talk and commenting on them.

"Aren't they adorable, Roderich?"

"Yes, quite."

"Aw, Fia looks just her mother..."

"She has her father's eyes, though."

"Hey there, cuties~! Aren't you two pretty? Yes you are!"

All Lovino wanted was all these fuckers to back off for five minutes.

"Hey, Lovino. Your mother bear is showing," Matthew chuckled at his old friend. Lovino just glared at him for a second before returning to watching his daughters like a hawk.

ooooo

"WWWAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Both Ludwig and Lovino jerked awake at the cry, half-exhausted, half-annoyed groans escaping them in unison. Lovino grabbed a pillow and dragged it over his head, mumbling, "Your turn, Potato Bastard."

Grumbling, Ludwig dragged himself out of bed and plodded to the nursery, flipping on one of the smaller lamps- he had learned through trial and error suddenly turning on a lot of bright light made them fuss worse- and going to the crib. Fia was only whimpering and making a sleepy, miffed face at her sister. Apparently she had been woken too. Erika, on the other hand, was kicking and wailing for all she was worth, pudgy fists flailing about. Sighing, Ludwig gently hushed Fia first, the older girl calming easily.

He resisted the urge to attempt to glare his daughter into quiet, instead picking her up and beginning to lightly rock her. As he rocked and softly hummed, he checked her over, hunting for the source of her discomfort. Dirty diaper? No. Hungry? She pushed away the bottle when he offered it to her, so no. Ill? No sign of that either.

The German sighed heavily, easing himself into the rocking chair and leaning back, feet up on a footstool so he was nearly laying flat and resting Erika on her stomach on his abdomen, her head resting on his chest. Rubbing her back soothingly, he began to quietly sing.

"Auf der Heide blüht ein kleines Blümeleine und das heißt Erika. Heiß von hunderttausand kleinen Bienelein wird umschwärmt Erika..." It was one of his favorite marching songs, despite the time period it came from, and he thought it was fitting considering it was where Erika got her name. Thankfully, she began to calm as he sang, making Ludwig smile that smug little grin he always got when he knew he was close to victory as he continued to sing. "Denn ihr Herz ist voller Süßigkeit, zarter Duft entströmt dem Blütenkleid..."

It wasn't long before Erika had calmed completely and started to fall asleep again on his chest, Ludwig pausing in his singing only to yawn. He tried to stay awake, he really did, but he quickly joined his daughter in sleep.

ooooo

Gilbert snickered quietly, snapping several pictures of his brother and niece. "Oh West, I knew you could still be adorable," he murmured to himself. He flipped through the pictures he had taken, grinning to himself.

"Oh yeah, this is going straight to the blog."

ooooo

The Villa Silvia was a bright, lively place. The house always seemed to hum with energy and bustle with activity, filled with laughter and work and the occasional entertainment. The walls themselves seemed to exude a feeling of vitality.

During the day, at least.

When the sun had set and the residents retired to their beds, Villa Silvia became a very different place. Moonlight made the grounds silent and serene, shadows dancing in the corners with the ghosts of days long since passed. Pale marble was always crisply framed by violet-black velvet skies, making the house even more exquisite than it usually was.

This night, all within slept peacefully, immersed in their own pleasant dreamworlds.

All except one, that is.

Feliciano slipped soundlessly through the hallways, strangely fully dressed, eventually coming to a nursery caught between day and night, lit by midnight moonlight. He crept to the dark cradle, smiling down at the slumbering infants there. He gently stroked first Erika's, then Fia's cheeks, neither stirring at the feather-light touches. "Soon, bambini," he whispered to them. "Soon I'll take you away, and I'll make you both so happy... you'll be my little angels, like you should have been all along..."

And there, with only the shadows and ghosts to hear him, he whispered his plans to his nieces, revealing his revenge; theft of that which is most precious to a parent and hidden places in mountaintops and happily ever afters- for them. When he was done, he pressed a little kiss to each forehead and left the villa behind.

ooooo

Lovino smiled at his daughters, Erika curled up on her Papa's lap as she chewed on a doll that she had become attached to and getting her golden curls stroked, Fia on her back next to Matt, squealing and giggling in delight at the shiny little rattling ball Matthew was shaking just beyond her grasp, chubby little hands grabbing for it, her aquamarine eyes bright.

Gilbert smiled at his boyfriend before turning to his brother-in-law, asking, "Hey Shortie." Lovino shot him a glare, making the Prussian snicker before continuing. "Where's your brother? I haven't seen Feli all day."

The Italian shrugged. "I don't know, dumbass. I'm not his nursemaid. He's probably just wandered off for a week or so again. He does that sometimes." Ludwig nodded in agreement with Lovino- Feliciano was like a cat at times, coming and going as he pleased.

Accepting that answer, the albino Nation meandered over to his lover, wrapping lean arms around Matt's shoulders and asking sweetly, "Sooo... can we have one?"

Immediately understanding what he meant, Matt replied firmly, "The only way you're having kids with me is if you carry them."

Lovino made a face. "Ew. Gee thanks for that mental image."

Gilbert on the other hand looked thoughtful. "Well..."

"OH MY GOD SHUT UP POTATO HEAD."

* * *

Translations:

Auf der Heide blüht ein kleines Blümeleine und das heißt Erika. = On the heath there blooms a little flower and it's called Erika.

Heiß von hunderttausand kleinen Bienelein wird umschwärmt Erika = Hot from a hundred thousand little bees that swarm over Erika

Denn ihr Herz ist voller Süßigkeit = Because her heart is full of sweetness

zarter Duft entströmt dem Blütenkleid = Her flowery dress gives off a delicate scent

Bambini = Babies


	8. Chapter 7

Anon: Thank you!

5star101: Matt probably would be better... but it's a hilariously bizarre role reversal to imagine, no?

* * *

Ten Years Later

"PAPA!"

Ludwig froze for a millisecond before old war instincts kicked in, the German running at top speed toward his daughters' bedroom, where the scream originated, unholstering his pistol from its shoulder holster.

He burst in, quickly scanning the room for threats and finding to his immense relief both Erika and Fia were sitting up in their shared bed, Erika sobbing into her hands while her sister hugged her, looking concerned.

Now sure that there was no immediate danger to his children, Ludwig holstered the gun and swiftly approached the bed, effortlessly shifting from cold soldier to loving Papa. He sat on the edge of the bed, lifting Erika into his lap and holding her close, murmuring softly into her hair, "Shh, what's all this Leibling?"

Erika wrapped her arms around Ludwig's neck, explaining in a shuddering hiccup, "I-I had a buh-bad dream..."

An inaudible sigh of relief escaped Ludwig, his shoulders relaxing completely. Just a bad dream. "Hush, Eri. It was just a dream, everything's fine now," he soothed, beginning to rock slightly. Before long, Erika grew heavy in his arms, the large German laying her down in her bed as gently as he would a china doll.

"Papa?"

Ludwig turned his indulgent gaze on Fia now, who was still wide awake. He lifted her into his recently vacated lap, asking, "Ja, mein Schatz?"

"Can you sing to me?" she asked, turning big blue eyes on him, so similar to his own. "I can't sleep without it."

Ludwig raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You seem to sleep just fine when Mama puts you to bed without singing."

She pouted cutely, fluttering her eyelashes. "Bitte?"

As always, Ludwig's resolve crumbled like a sandcastle under that face, the use of German just making it worse. He sighed but nodded, Fia grinning in victory, the expression disturbingly reminiscent of her Onkel Gilbert. Ludwig chose to ignore that for now, though, instead thinking for a moment before beginning to sing softly in his smooth baritone.

"Dornröschen war ein schönes Kind, schönes Kind, schönes kind, Dornröschen war ein schönes Kind, Schönes Kind," he sang. Fia smiled and leaned against his chest, closing her eyes and listening to the tale of Sleeping Beauty. By the time he reached the verse about the young king's son, she was fast asleep in his lap.

Ludwig gently laid little Fia down in her bed next to her sister, the two girls sleepily cuddling and allowing their Papa to tuck them in under their little red blanket and place Greta, her ragdoll, in Erika's arms. The large German smiled and leaned down to softly kiss golden and rosewood locks, both of them smiling in their sleep.

"Hey, Potato head," Lovino called quietly from the doorway. "Come on, let them sleep."

Ludwig sighed but stood and left the room, closing the door behind himself, employing every bit of stealth he possessed to not disturb his daughters. He turned, finding his daughters' mother leaning against the wall, smirking amusedly. The German flushed lightly, and it wasn't just from being caught doting on his little girls.

Lovino was gorgeous his mahogany hair was slightly mussed, framing his delicately featured face. Hazel eyes sparkled with mirth against sun-tanned skin, ruddy lips curled up. He was dressed fashionably as ever, in black slacks and a long-sleeved black button-up with the top three buttons left undone, the shirt accented with red pinstripes. Ruby cuff links winked from his wrists, the ever-present wooden cross hanging from its black cord round his neck. A black coat that matched the slacks hung from his arm, completing the outfit.

Ludwig cleared his throat, awkwardly mumbling, "You look nice."

Lovino rolled his eyes with a chuckle, stepping closer to allow Ludwig to loosely wrap his arms around his waist, the Italian resting his own arms on top of his. "Tch, what you really mean is you think I'm insanely sexy and have better fashion sense than you could ever hope to have," he replied snidely, a teasing spark entering his eyes.

Ludwig smiled and chuckled, replying, "Hey, I thought I did better than usual tonight." And he really had tried- he was wearing a pair of dark midnight blue trousers and a white silk button-up with diamond cuff-links and a tie that matched his pants. He had a matching jacket too, but it was in their bedroom still, where he had left it when he went to the girls.

His Italian lover looked him over critically, finally nodding. "Not as bad as usual, Potato brain," he decreed, Ludwig translating it to 'You look good too.' He laughed, pressing his cooler lips to fiery hot ones.

They broke apart when they heard the front door open, Feliciano calling, "Fratello? Doitsu? I'm here, ve!" Lovino rolled his eyes again, this time at his brother, but went downstairs to greet him.

ooooo

"There you are, fratello. I was beginning to wonder if you'd show up at all!" Feliciano heard Lovino call, the slightly younger Italian plastering a dumb grin on his face and running up to hug his brother.

"Sorry I'm a little late, fratello, but I ran into Antonio and Francis on the way and I had to stop and say ciao, ve," Feli explained, continuing to cling to Lovino's arm.

"Che, whatever, stupido," Lovino groused. "If we're late and they give our table away, I'm blaming you."

"Don't worry, Lovino. I'll make sure we get to that restaurant on time, or I'll turn in my German card," Ludwig called from the stairs as he descended, shrugging on his jacket. Feli's gaze lingered on him, savoring the smile Ludwig sent in his direction. "Danke for offering to watch the girls tonight, Feliciano. We probably won't be back until tomorrow morning, noon at the latest. I trust you can handle them until then?" Ludwig asked, adjusting his watch on his wrist and tucking various necessities into his pockets- cell phone, keys, wallet.

Feli just continued to smile sweetly, replying, "Oh, sure, ve! You guys just go have fun, don't worry about us, ve! It's your anniversary, you deserve to enjoy yourselves!"

Ludwig smiled. "Ja, well, you have our phone numbers if you need us, and the guest room is of course open to you. The girls are already asleep, so you don't have to worry about putting them down, and there's plenty to feed them when the need arises." As Ludwig spoke, Lovino detached Feliciano from his arm, going to stand next to Ludwig, the German's arm automatically coming up to wrap loosely around the Italian's waist. The couple were ignorant of the surge of jealousy and rage that surged through the lighter Italian, in fact they barely spared him a glance once all instructions were relayed and they were on their way out the door.

Feliciano watched them go down the walk and get into Ludwig's sleek silver Mercedes-Benz, a tiny part of him sad that this would likely be the last time he'd be in their presence as a friend- and as a brother. He would probably be disowned by the entire Nation community after this, at least for a while, but by his own twisted logic, it was worth it.

He waited until half an hour had passed, then went out to his own car, checking to make sure the car seats were secure and he had everything they would need for the trip- a fresh set of clothing for each child and a cooler of snacks, along with some toys for the girls to play with if they got bored. Everything else they would ever need would be at the safe house.

Sure he was ready, Feli went upstairs to the girls' room, gently rousing them. "Eri... Fi..." he called. Sleepy blue and brown eyes blinked, confusion written on young faces.

"Zio Feli?" Erika mumbled, rubbing an eye. "What's going on?"

"Come on bambini, we're going for a drive," Feli cooed, pulling back their blanket and helping them stumble to their feet.

"But Zio, I'm tired," Fia whined, leaning heavily against the older one's leg.

"You can sleep in the car, Fi," he replied, deciding to leave them in their nightgowns. "Eri, why don't you leave Greta here?" The blonde girl looked shocked, almost offended at the idea, resolutely shaking her head no and clutching the rag doll close. Feli sighed, deciding to leave it be. He would have preferred to have the girls take nothing that might provide an anchor for this period of their lives, but he didn't want to cause a fuss either. He could get rid of it later.

He swiftly escorted them to the car, lifting each into her carseat and buckling her in. By the time he had slid into the driver's seat and started up the car, he could see they were both already back to sleep, a smile finding his mouth.

As they drove away, a single thought made his grin become huge and dark with cruel satisfaction.

"They're mine now. My bei bambini. All mine."

ooooo

Ludwig slowly stirred, a hand coming up to rub groggily at one of his eyes. He blinked a few times, letting his vision readjust, taking in his surroundings.

It was a nice hotel room, nothing too special. The bed was large and soft, the blankets mussed and tossed aside with thier clothing except for the white cotton sheet. Curtains kept the room in relative darkness, but he could see the early-morning daylight leaking in around the edges of the curtains. The room, however, quickly lost his interest, sapphire eyes finding the lithe form of his lover beside him.

The German smiled, readjusting himself to spoon against Lovino's back, draping an arm over that trim waist. He winced when he aggravated the bruises and chafed skin on his wrists, a light throbbing pain in his backside making itself known as well. He merely smirked at the marks though, his masochistic side enjoying the dull aches. Besides, he had paid them back in full- they would both be walking funny for a day or two.

The idea of cuddling for a while before they had to head home sounded excellent to Ludwig at the moment, the German nuzzling the always warm skin of his husband and placing a few light kisses on his shoulder. Lovino hummed, a rare peaceful, happy smile appearing on his lips.

Both jumped and groaned when the insistent ringing of a cell phone ripped through the room, both males glaring at the pair of pants from which it was emanating, the pants happening to be Lovino's. Growling, Ludwig rose, stalking over to the pants and fishing out the phone, intent on giving the caller a piece of his mind and ignoring Lovino's sleepy mumble of "Fucking hang up and get back over here, bastard, it's cold and too early for this shit..."

Ludwig snapped the phone open without even looking at the caller ID, barking into it, "Whoever this is, you better have a damn good reason for calling this early!"

"Where's the Boss!" a Italian-accented voice replied, obviously trying to restrain panic. Ludwig's anger was suddenly gone, replaced at once by confusion and the beginnings of fear. He knew Lovino had Mafia watching the house and the girls at all times, and if it was business, they wouldn't have called his cell; therefore, it was... Ludwig couldn't even think it. He immediately turned and held out the phone to Lovino, the brunette taking in his lover's face and quickly becoming serious.

Lovino snatched the phone and began to speak in rapid Italian. "Questo è il Boss... Che cazzo vuoi dire, morto?!... E le ragazze?... ANDATO? Che dire di mio fratello?" Lovino's shocked and panicked expression abruptly became dark, dangerous, and yet deadly calm. "Io taglierò fuori la lingua con coltello da burro se mi stai mentendo." Finally, Lovino said tightly, "Inizia cercando immediatamente. Ci sarò presto," and hung up.

For a moment, Lovino sat there, the phone clenched tightly in his hands, staring blankly in front of himself.

"Lovino?" Ludwig whispered. "What's going on?"

Lovino swallowed thickly, finally turning hazel eyes brimming with tears to fearful blue.

"They're gone."

Something in Ludwig's chest collapsed. Slowly, he sank to his knees, hands coming up to cover his face.

No. No. No no no no no. Not his baby girls. Not his sweet little Erika and headstrong Fia. They couldn't be gone, they took so many precautions...

Completely abandoning all semblance of strength, Ludwig sobbed into his hands. When Lovino gently touched the side of his face, he blindly reached out to wrap his arms around him, pulling the crying Italian into his lap, sobbing into walnut hair now.

"T-the Lord will prot-tect them..." Lovino whispered in a shuddering, tear-choked voice, obviously trying to reassure himself as well as his husband.

Ludwig could only hope he was right.

ooooo

Lovino and Ludwig strode into the empty house across the street from their house, all signs of tears and fear gone from their faces, replaced by barely contained rage. They were wearing the clothing from last night, the clothes wrinkled and obviously reused, but neither gave a flying fuck at the moment and the Mafioso around them knew when to keep their mouths shut about trivial details.

They barely took notice of the half-dozen or so high-ranking Mafioso, Ludwig planting himself in the center of the room, drawing himself up to his full height and booming, "IF WE DO NOT GET A FULL EXPLANATION THIS SECOND THERE WILL BE MURDERS." His expression was completely serious, Lovino next to him echoing his expression.

The man apparently in charge- both Nations recognized him as Basilio Triolo, Lovino's usual emissary to the rest of the Mafia- quickly scurried up to his tense Boss, rapidly explaining, "Accardo e Geraci è venuto-"

"SPEAK ENGLISH IN FRONT OF MY HUSBAND."

Basilio jumped at Lovino's outburst but other than that took it in stride, easily switching to English. "Accardo and Geraci came to relieve Maida and Tomaselli this morning at six as usual, but they found Maida and Tomaselli dead in the lookout station. Their throats were slit. They found this pinned to Tomaselli's shirt." He took a piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to Lovino with an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry, Boss."

Lovino snatched it, scanning the note's contents. Rage grew on his face, his eyes flashing dangerously. When he finished, he wordlessly held out the paper to Ludwig, who did the same.

_Fratello and Doitsu,_

_Do you remember when I said I was happy for you and wished you both the best?_

_I lied._

_I have been planning this ever since I found out about your pregnancy, Fratello- I would have done this sooner, but I had to make extra accommodations when I found they were twins, and you and Doitsu left so few opportunities. Don't worry, they'll be well cared for- by their new Mama. Me. I should have been their mother, I should be Doitsu's husband. I can't do much about Doitsu, but the girls..._

_Don't bother looking for us. By the time you read this, we'll be long gone, somewhere where you'll never find them. And even if you do, it'll probably be years from now, and all memory of you two will have faded from their minds. Fratello, you can have Italy- I never wanted it. I only keep my Nation status now so I can be there for my girls._

_Feliciano_

Lovino looked up, fury making him terrifying to look at.

"Spread the word," he hissed to Basilio. "Every effort will but put into finding Feliciano and my daughters. Concentrate your effort in Italy, but do not rule out anywhere else. I want every branch searching for them. When they are found, my daughters will be brought to me immediately."

"And your brother, Boss?" Basilio hesitantly questioned.

A sneer came over Lovino's face. "Feliciano Vargas is no longer my brother. What he has done is unforgivable. When you find him, give him a traitor's death."

* * *

Translations:

Leibling = Darling

Schatz = Treasure

Bitte = Please

Onkel = Uncle

Dornröschen war ein schönes Kind, schönes Kind, schönes kind, Dornröschen war ein schönes Kind, Schönes Kind = Sleeping Beauty was a pretty child, pretty child, pretty child, Sleeping Beauty was a pretty child, pretty child

Fratello = Brother

Ciao = Hello

Stupido = Stupid

Zio = Uncle

Bei Bambini = Beautiful Babies

Questo è il Boss... Che cazzo vuoi dire, morto?!... E le ragazze?... ANDATO? Che dire di mio fratello?... Io taglierò fuori la lingua con coltello da burro se mi stai mentendo... Inizia cercando immediatamente. Ci sarò presto. = This is the Boss... What the fuck do you mean, dead?!... And the girls?... GONE? What about my brother?... I will cut out your tongue with a butter knife if you're lying... Start looking immediately. I'll be there soon.


	9. Chapter 8

Anon: He's just getting started.

5star101: Ludwig definitely doesn't have anything nice to say, that's for sure. And just because he can't legitimately die doesn't mean he can't take a bullet to the face and be buried in a shallow grave... Lovino's kind of upset right now, give him a break.

Note: Frederika = Gilbert and Matthew's daughter, Marco = San Mariano.

* * *

Erika felt like she was floating, distantly aware of the things around her but unaffected by them. She recognized this sensation as the half-asleep state that always preceded her awakening when she woke naturally on her own- it was easy to recognize since this was the only time she could hear the voices.

The words of a hundred thousand different people babbled in a senseless flow of sound, the sound as removed from her as the sounds of the car radio in the awake world, like a stream that was somewhere beyond her. It was soothing. She knew what the voices were; the voices of her people. They seemed far away because they were not fully hers yet, still calling themselves German. Yet she knew that someday these voices would clamor to call themselves something different, and her Papa would cease to hear them and would ring clear as a bell in her own head and heart instead.

She was vaguely aware of it when the vehicle she was in pulled to a gentle halt and turned off. A few minutes later, she was roused from her sleep when her door was opened, quick, flitting hands undoing her seatbelt and lifting her out of the car. Burnt umber eyes fluttered open to be met not with the sight of her Mama, like she expected, but the softer face of her Mama's brother.

"Zio Feli?" she yawned, rubbing the fist that wasn't clutching Greta to her chest against one eye to help clear the sand from it. She looked around when she was set down so Feliciano could unbuckle Fia too, smooth brow furrowing when she realized she had no idea where they were. Tugging her uncle's pants, she waited patiently for light toffee eyes to turn to her before asking, "Zio Feli, where are we?"

Feliciano smiled reassuringly at her, explaining, "We're in my part of Italy. The Apennine Mountains. We have to stay here for a while, okay?" as he led her inside by the hand, carrying Fia with his other arm.

"Why?" she asked.

"Don't worry about it, bambina," Feliciano soothed.

"Where's Mama and Papa?" she asked next.

A flash of something crossed Feliciano's eyes, but it was gone too quickly for Erika to process. "They'll come for you both when they can, alright? Now no more questions. Let's get you both into some new clothes, hm? Then we can have some breakfast."

Erika frowned slightly at her uncle's evasive answers, confusion and some worry still plaguing her, but in the end she nodded and followed Feliciano.

ooooo

Fia Beilshmidt-Vargas hated dresses.

Especially stupid ones with puffy sleeves and too-big skirts.

There was only thing in this world she hated more: frogs. Seriously, just eww. They were all slimy and weird colored and a lot of them could poison you. No thanks.

But apparently, her uncle was determined that she and her sister would wear them. Erika wasn't as bothered by the fluffy pink one she wore, but as Fia sat here trying to read a summer storm was keeping her inside all she could concentrate on was how good the sky blue dress she currently donned would look on fire. Giving up on the collection of poetry, she instead turned to her sister, whom was sitting on the floor, quietly brushing Greta's hair with her fingers and placing a little pink headband that matched the one Erika currently wore in the doll's yarn hair.

Deciding that her sister was boring, Fia went instead to the easel set up in the corner and prepared a small canvas. Her preparations caught Erika's attention, the slightly younger twin setting Greta aside on a stool and coming to her sister's side. "What are you going to paint?" she asked the brunette girl.

"Nothing, if I can't reach that shelf," Fia grumbled, straining to reach a basket filled with bottles of paint on a shelf that was just out of her reach. Curse her five-year-old appearance! Quickly growing irritated, she looked around for a moment before grabbing a chair and using it as a stepping-stool, smirking with victory the same way their Papa sometimes did when she finally managed to get the paint-basket down.

Preparing a palette with various colors, Fia picked up a fan-shaped brush and began to liberally smear bright colors onto the canvas, allowing them to swirl and smear and overlap. Erika brought over the stool she had set Greta on and sat on it herself with the doll on her lap, watching her sister gradually coax a somewhat coherent image out of the splashes of bright color on her canvas.

Soon, it became obvious what the subject of the painting was; it was a family portrait. It was done in Fia's own peculiar style, vague but still recognizable forms coming to life under her paintbrush. There were no definite facial features, Fia choosing to use contrasting background colors to make figures stand out instead of outlining them, but Erika could easily tell who was who. The figure with the shock of white hair next to a slightly taller one with blonde hair was obviously Onkel Gil and Uncle Matt. There was Tío Toni, Zio Domeni, Zio Feli, Onkel Roddy, Néni Liza, Zia Veni, even Zio Marco and Onkel Vash. Sitting in a line at the feet of the adults were the cousins; Michelangelo, Grazia, thier baby cousin Frederika whom had been born just last year, even Lili. And in the middle stood their Mama, their Papa, and at their feet were Erika and Fia.

Erika frowned slightly, the cold feeling of emptiness in her chest returning. The sisters had been staying here for the last six months, and over the weeks, they only missed their family and friends more and more.

Here was a small, forested valley located in the dip between two tall mountains. In the exact center of the valley was a small clearing, where the modest, cozy house the three of them inhabited was located. The house itself wasn't really special, just a standard two-story place with two bedrooms and a porch, painted a dark blue with white trimming. A small circle around the house was clear, just grass and some wildflowers. Besides the forest, the only other thing of interest was a thin, one-way dirt road that led out of the valley. A truck with food and other supplies came down this road every two weeks, and the truck driver was the only other person the girls ever saw anymore. Zio Feli had made them promise to never leave the valley unless he gave permission otherwise, but so far he had never given them permission. He claimed that it was to keep them safe, but neither had any idea what he could be keeping them safe from.

"I miss them," Erika whispered.

Fia paused only a moment before continuing to paint, her strokes slower, more deliberate now. "Me too."

ooooo

Feliciano watched them from the doorway, his eyes narrowed.

Looks like it was time for part two of his plan.

ooooo

Erika glanced at the alarm clock on the small table next to her bed. The glowing numbers read 1:12. She did the math quickly in her head.

Zio Feli had been on the phone with her mother for three hours and thirty-two minutes.

Both she and Fia lay silently in the dark, listening.

"Fratello, please- stop shouting, the girls are in bed... What? Fratello how could you say that?... Fratello!" Even through the phone and a room away, both girls could clearly hear what sounded suspiciously like their own mother.

_"I don't care. Keep the little brats if you want."_

Erika bit her lip hard enough to bleed, listening to her sister make choking noises that were somewhere between a sob and a growl of rage.

Mercifully, Lovino must have said everything he wanted, because the horrible conversation ended a few minutes later. About fifteen minutes later, Feliciano opened the door, whispering, "Eri? Fi? Are you awake?"

Fia answered for both of them in a tight voice, "We're awake, Zio Feli." Feliciano didn't turn on the light, just went to sit on the edge of Fia's bed, then gestured for Erika to come join them, which she did, stumbling across the room and collapsing in her uncle's arms. Feliciano drew her close, then did the same to Fia, both girls crying.

"Shh, shh..." he soothed, hugging them tight. "I'll take care of you both..."

ooooo

Feliciano sighed as he watched the girls. They had fallen asleep a while ago, and while his chest ached at the sight of their tears, he couldn't help his small, satisfied smile and feeling of triumph. He flipped open his cellphone, dialing quickly.

_"Hello?_"

"Excellent work. Thank you for your services."

_"When should I expect my check?"_

"I'll mail it in the morning. Goodnight."

ooooo

Ludwig sat quietly at his kitchen table, nursing his beer. His twelfth of the night, and most definitely not his last. He knew he looked like death warmed over with his messy hair, stubble on his chin, shadows under his eyes, and grungy clothing, but couldn't bring himself to care. He couldn't care about a lot of things anymore.

It had been a year. One whole year since the man he had thought was his best friend had taken his daughters.

Even now he couldn't really comprehend it. How could Feliciano, happy-go-lucky, silly, weak _Feliciano_ do this? The man who had never been able to bring himself to kill even a spider for as long as Ludwig had known him, had used pasta and hugs as a cure for everything, had even been his lover once upon a time. Ludwig had studied every memory he had of Feliciano, scoured them for even the slightest hint that he was going to do this. He knew every one else had too, especially Lovino. His husband had torn himself apart looking for answers, any answer, and had come up with nothing.

They had spent months in an intense search for Erika and Fia. Months of investigating every sighting of a brunette male traveling with two young girls across the globe- every one of the Nations had been sympathetic to them, assisting them where they could, running the same 'If you see this man or these children call this number' segments on TV. Months of listening to Lovino vent his frustration and bitter disappointment at stumped Mafioso over the phone.

A year of drinking himself to sleep every night.

A year of watching his lover retreat further and further into himself.

A year of having no idea where his daughters were, if they were alright, if they knew their Mama and Papa were doing everything they could to find them and bring them home.

A year of living with the terrible possibility that he would never see them again.

Grief-filled blue eyes lifted to stare out the window. Somewhere out there were his little girls. Were they scared? Were they hurt? Were they even missing Ludwig and Lovino?

Closing his eyes, Ludwig did the only thing he could think of.

He prayed.

* * *

Translations:

Bambina = Baby(feminine)

Zio/Onkel/Tío = Uncle

Néni/Zia = Aunt

Fratello = Brother


	10. Chapter 9

5star101: Unfortunately, it won't be that easy...

* * *

50 Years Later

Gilbert sighed sadly, running his fingers through his hair. "Oh West..."

Ludwig sat passed out at the kitchen table, his head resting on his arm, an impressive collection of empty beer bottles and maybe one or two of vodka surrounding him. He turned to see Antonio picking up an equally unconscious Lovino bridal-style from the other end of the table, the same look of sorrow in the Spaniard's eyes.

This had become an unspoken tradition between the four of them- every year when the anniversary of the girls' kidnapping or their birthday came around, Ludwig and Lovino would get as much alcohol as they could, drink until they passed out, and then Gilbert and Antonio would come put them to bed and help them through the hangover.

It was a depressing routine, but there was nothing either of the two older men could do. This was how their little brothers dealt with their grief, the rock bottom of the downward spiral they had been slowly slipping down ever since Feliciano had stolen the twins. At first they both had merely obsessed over trying to find Erika and Fia. But as time went on and leads dried up, Ludwig had turned to his work, burying himself in mindless paperwork to take his mind off of it, and Lovino had withdrawn into himself, focusing completely on his art. Ludwig had even taken up smoking again. When even that didn't help anymore, they crawled into a bottle together and hadn't come out since.

To this day every Nation was baffled by Feliciano's disappearing act. The man wasn't dead- if he was then Lovino would be all of Italy now. Nor was he hiding out in any foreign country, Nations could sense when another Nation was on their soil uninvited. That only left Northern Italy. But not even Lovino was sure where exactly the border between north and south was, and besides, the Mafia had turned that country inside-out looking for their boss' children. It was like they had just disappeared off the face of the earth.

Throwing Ludwig's arm over his neck and lifting him with a grunt, Gilbert began to stagger after Antonio.

Because, hell, what else could he do?

ooooo

Feliciano sat at the head of his table, smiling pleasantly as he ate his breakfast. Erika sat to his right, Fia to his left, the older twin chattering on about something she had seen while wandering in the forest yesterday afternoon.

They'd grown, Feliciano mused. Both now looked twelve or so, some of the baby fat having left their cheeks. Erika had taken to wearing her long burnished gold curls in a ponytail, the girl having to constantly tuck stray curls behind her ears, while Fia looked more and more like a tomboy every day. Feliciano didn't really mind, they were still his girls and he would love them even if they dyed their hair purple and tattooed polka dots on their faces.

He couldn't help but notice that Erika had been even more quiet than usual the last few days. It worried Feliciano- the last time she was this quiet for this long he had caught her trying to run away...

After the phone call from "Lovino", Fia had completely renounced Lovino and Ludwig, displaying the quick temper she inherited from her mother and immediately adopting Feliciano whole-heartedly. Unlike her sister, however, Erika had never really let go of her parents. Sure, she called Feli Mama and he was sure she loved him just as much as her sister, but she still clung to the idea that maybe at least their father still wanted them. Feli curbed that idea wherever he could, but it was difficult. Erika had always been her Papa's little girl, and the idea that her Papa didn't want her anymore had been a tough pill for her to swallow.

"Eri," Feli said during a lull in the conversation, liquid chocolate eyes flicking to topaz. "Are you alright, bambina? You've been quiet, ve. Is anything bothering you?"

Erika smiled softly, answering, "No, Mama. I'm fine, just a little tired lately. I haven't been sleeping well."

"Oh. Well if it's bothering you too much, ve, you should take a siesta," Feliciano advised. Oh good, just a little trouble sleeping.

The blonde girl nodded in response to his advice. "Ok, Mama. Um, can I borrow your laptop to look for some more books online? I ran out again," she asked. Erika went through books like Feliciano went through pasta, so it hadn't been long before she had devoured the entire small library of books at the house, and Feliciano had had to show her how to order new books online.

The Italian nodded with a smile. "Of course, ve! After your chores are done, you can go ahead and get it."

Erika smiled happily.

ooooo

That afternoon, Erika settled herself on her bed, Greta by her side, the laptop on her knees. She spent about twenty minutes or so looking to see if the next installments of her favorite series had been released and for new novels she might like, selecting several for her shopping cart so if Zio Feli checked she could have proof she was doing what she said she was.

Nervously, she checked to make sure the Zio Feli was still outside tending his little herb and vegetable garden before opening a new tab, hesitating only a moment before rapidly typing in a phrase into the search bar and hitting enter.

After the hurt of that horrible phone call a few decades ago had worn off a little, Erika had become determined to find out what exactly that had been about. Did their Mama really mean what he said? What about Papa? And why hadn't any of their other aunts and uncles and cousins and friends contacted them? Fia had shown no interest in those questions, Erika's sister having decided that she had heard all she needed and wanted nothing to do with the family that had apparently disowned them.

Emphasis on apparently.

Every time Erika had tried to press her uncle for answers or find them on her own, Feliciano had stopped her, insisting that it was for her own good, and why couldn't she just listen to him when he only had her best interests in mind? Over the years, these blocking attempts became more and more apparent, the holes in Zio Feli's stories getting bigger and bigger. A few years ago she had tried to run away, find her family on her own, but Zio Feli had stopped her then too.

After that, new questions had joined the old. Why did Zio Feli not want her to contact her family? Why keep them confined to this small valley?

Turning away from her previous methods, Erika had decided that today, she would go to a different resource the Internet. Onkel Gil had a blog that was his pride and joy(besides Frederika, of course)- he wrote about everything there. There was bound to be some account of what happened fifty years ago.

**Results for _Tales of Awesome_: 63,100,000**

Sighing, she scrolled, scanning the results. Three links down was an entry that made her face light up. "Yes!" she fist-pumped the air, smirking in victory. There it was! And it even looked like it was still active!

Clicking on the link, she found exactly what she expected to find; dark blue background, with a Prussian flag in the corner, a small collage of pictures at the top, the most recent entry from just yesterday evening. She paused only a moment to stare at the pictures before scrolling to find the little guide thingy on the side. The little arrow selected the appropriate year and month.

The first few entries were fairly run-of-the-mill for the blog; Gilbert was awesome, look at my awesome kid and husband, aren't they adorable?, Gilbert was awesome, beer and pancakes and Prussia are awesome, and did he mention Gilbert was freaking awesome. Then, the day after her parents' anniversary, the morning after Zio Feli had taken them for a 'drive', Erika was bombarded with entries claiming "my brother-in-law's bastard brother" had kidnapped them. Some were declarations that the girls would be found at any cost. Others were pleas addressed to anyone who might be able to help to, well, help. But most were simply rambling rants that drifted between fury and depression, cursing Feliciano for doing this to everyone. It was in these rants that Onkel Gilbert would mention how badly Erika and Fia's disappearances had effected her parents; they were both deep in depression, mentions of alcoholism disturbingly common.

Erika was stunned. Pieces began to click into place in her head. Suddenly it all made sense.

Opening a new tab, Erika began searching for information about kidnappings fifty years ago. Information about her and Fia's was overwhelmingly abundant; apparently there had been a huge uproar over it.

Swallowing thickly, Erika went back to her uncle's blog. She clicked first on the most recent entry, then on the 'Comment' button. A little white box opened up at the bottom of the page.

Placing her fingers on the keys, she began to type.

* * *

Translations:

None.


	11. Chapter 10

Russia fan: Ask and ye shall receive!

Anon: *gives hug*

KawaiiYakuza: Wow, thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Note: I've never actually used Skype before, so feel free to correct me if I fucked up my description of its use. Also, Gilbert has an absurdly long name because it's a headcanon of mine that he'll add the name of someone he liked/respected/loved to his own when they die, to remember them by. Each of those names means a lot to him. (and yes, Erika's totally a Jules Vern fangirl)

* * *

"But Vatttiiii..."

Gilbert gave his daughter a stern look. "Don't you 'but Vati' me, Fritz. Bedtime." _Please don't use the puppy eyes please not the puppy eyes-_

Frederika pouted slightly, pushing out her bottom lip and making her pretty indigo eyes- just like her Papa's- big and sparkly somehow, folding her hands under her chin. Fluttering her long eyelashes, she said as sweetly as she could, "Bitte, Vati? Just five minutes? _Bitte?_"

_GODDAMN IT._

He was cracking, and they both knew it. Thankfully, before he could do anything like let her stay up, Matthew swept into the room, scooping up their daughter and throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Nice try, petite chaton."

"AWWW, Papa..." Fritz whined, now genuinely pouting, irritably pushing her cinnamon colored hair out of her eyes.

Gilbert let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Matt!"

"Whatever," Matthew called back.

Snickering to himself, Gilbert reached for his laptop and hit the power button. Sighing, he checked his e-mail, then his Twitter and Facebook. Nothing interesting. Opening a new tab, he hit his bookmark for his blog. The familiar layout of _Tales of Awesome: the Epic Saga of Gilbert Beilshmidt_ loaded in seconds, the Prussian smiling when he saw he had a new comment. He clicked it.

**Guest: Onkel Gilbert, this is Erika. Please respond.**

Gilbert choked on his own saliva for a second. Then his eyes narrowed in a glare.

ooooo

**Gilbert: Whoever this is, fuck off. That's not funny. Do you have any idea how messed up my brother and brother-in-law still are about that? Fuck you, asshole.**

Erika winced. Sighing, she typed again.

ooooo

**Guest: Onkel, this isn't a joke, I swear. Ask me anything.**

Gilbert scoffed. Okay, now he was starting to get pissed off.

**Gilbert: Fine. What's my full name?**

**Guest: Gabriel Michael Martin Gilbert Jakob Nina Friedrich Christophe Louise Klara Groller Beilshmidt. Your husband's full name is Matthew James Williams, but Oncel Franny still calls him Matthieu. Your daughter's name is Frederika Anette Beilshmidt-Williams. My full name is Erika Gabriella Beilshmidt-Vargas. My sister's full name is Fia Monika Beilshmidt-Vargas. Need I go on?**

Gilbert swallowed. Okay, that thorough of an answer was a little unexpected.

**Gilbert: All of that could have been found with enough digging. How old am I?**

**Guest: You used to tell me that you were older than everything awesome, because you are the source of all awesome, but Papa said you were almost 840. But that was fifty years ago, so somewhere around 890, almost 900?**

Gilbert gaped. A strange sense of apprehension and hope began to steal over him as he rapidly typed out his next question.

**Gilbert: What song did West sing to you when you wanted a lullaby?**

**Guest: Erika. It was an old marching song, and what I was named after.**

**Gilbert: What was the year I gave you and Fia your own Iron Crosses?**

**Guest: Trick question, you said we'd get them when we earned them.**

**Gilbert: Where were you born?**

**Guest: Villa Silvia, in Rome, Italy, along the edge of the Tiber River.**

**Gilbert: What was my rank in 1930?**

**Guest: Trick question again, in 1930 you were working as a shopkeeper, selling hardware. The store was called Beilshmidt & Beilshmidt, and it was located in Berlin. Papa worked there too.**

**Gilbert: What's my favorite song?**

**Guest: Ave Maria.**

**Gilbert: What's my tattoo of?**

**Guest: You don't have a tattoo.**

Gilbert swallowed thickly. She'd gotten them right. Every single one. Hands shaking a little, he typed in his last question.

**Gilbert: What am I?**

**Guest: Once the Teutonic Knights, then Prussia, then the German Democratic Republic, now eastern Germany. My Papa is western Germany. My Mama is southern Italy. If you still don't believe me- [link].**

Hesitantly, Gilbert clicked the link. Something opened in a new tab. Gilbert switched over.

The Prussian could have sworn his heart just stopped.

It was a picture. Two little girls, about ten, sat side by side in the grass, wearing matching dresses, one a soft pink, the other a sky blue. The one in pink had long, loose blonde curls framing her heart-shaped face, a crown of flowers on her head, warm coffee colored eyes smiling at him. The other had her chin-length molasses hued hair held back with a white kerchief, a necklace of flowers around her neck, aquamarine eyes twinkling as she grinned.

Erika and Fia. A little older perhaps, but definitely them.

**Gilbert: Oh mien Gott... do you have Skype?**

**Guest: Yes. My username is Nautilus. Logging in right now.**

**Gilbert: Mine's KingofAwesome. Wait, you like Jules Verne?**

**Guest: Later, Onkel! But yes.**

Gilbert laughed, refusing to acknowledge the slight hint of hysteria in it. Logging on in record time, he had no trouble finding Nautilus. He opened a new session.

There she was.

Erika looked just as surprised as he did. Suddenly, she grinned brilliantly, her fingers flying over her keyboard.

**Nautilus: I'm sorry we can't talk, but I don't have a microphone.**

**KingofAwesome: Just seeing you is enough. Where's Fia?**

Erika winced at the question before answering.

**Nautilus: About six months after Zio Feli took us, there was a phone call... Mama said some things, though I'm starting to think it wasn't Mama at all... anyway, Fia took it hard and renounced our parents. I've been looking for answers for almost forty years now.**

**KingofAwesome: What things?**

**Nautilus: Very hurtful things. I'd rather not get into it.**

Taking the hint, Gilbert changed topic.

**King of Awesome: Where are you two?**

**Nautilus: I'm not sure, but we're in a wooded valley in the Apennine Mountains.**

Gilbert grinned and started to type his own reply, but suddenly Erika looked up at something over her screen, a look of surprise and slight fear on her face. A second later, she had disconnected, and no matter how hard he tried, she didn't respond to anything Gilbert did.

Once again, she was gone.

ooooo

Gilbert paced the livingroom, running his hands through his hair as his mind raced a mile a minute. He had found Fia and Erika, after all these years... he couldn't believe it. Should he tell West and Lovino? He still didn't know for sure where exactly they were, how they could get them away from Feliciano... and that part where Erika had suddenly disconnected worried him.

He jumped when his computer made a** PING**! noise. Snowy eyebrows drew together in confusion. Who would be sending him a IM...? Quickly, he went to the laptop, tapping the touchpad. A little white text box was in the corner of the screen, holding a message that sent chills down his spine.

**Stranger: Prussia, this is your only warning. Stay away from my daughters and I. I like you, Gilly, despite what you may think. Don't make me kill you.**

Only one person could have sent that.

**KingofAwesome: Where are you, Feliciano.**

**Stranger: Stay away, Gilbert. Focus on your own child.**

Gilbert snarled unconciously under his breath.

**KingofAwesome: You leave Fritz the fuck out of this, you little bitch. WHERE. ARE. YOU. Where have you taken the girls!**

No reply.

* * *

Translations:

Vati = Daddy

Bitte = Please

Petite Chaton = Little Kitten

Onkel/Oncel/Zio = Uncle

Oh mein Gott = Oh my God


	12. Chapter 11

Warning: From here on out, shit hits the fan, yo.

* * *

Erika swallowed.

Feliciano stared at her, a dark look in his eye.

"Just one thing," the Italian finally hissed out. "I only asked one thing of you. Don't contact anyone outside. That's not so hard, is it? But no. Now you've ruined EVERYTHING." On everything, he threw the laptop in his hands to the floor with a loud crash. Erika yelped, eyes wide.

"M-Mama please-"

"NO! You've betrayed this family for the last time, girl!" Erika screamed as Feliciano grabbed her by the arm and dragged her downstairs with a strength that frightened the blonde and left bruises on her soft skin. They ended up in the kitchen, Feliciano dragging a heavy cabinet out of its place and lifting a hidden trapdoor. He smiled cruelly at Erika as he asked in a sickly sweet voice, "Do you know what an oubliette is, Eri?"

Suddenly, Erika was falling, falling, falling down into the dark, her scream echoing on the walls.

ooooo

Feliciano slammed the trapdoor shut and moved the cabinet back. Now it was completely hidden again, soundproofing effectively muffling any sound from inside. He sighed, turning when Fia ran into the house, her eyes wide.

"Mama! What was the screaming?!" she demanded.

Feliciano smiled soothingly at her, kneeling and gently placing his hands on her shoulders and kissing her forehead. "Fi, bambina, I'm going to need you to trust Mama, alright? Go upstairs and pack your backpack with everything you'd need on a camping trip, ok?"

"But why-?"

"Shh," he placed a finger over her lips. "No questions. Just trust me. Go, quick as you can."

Obediently, she nodded and ran off. While she was busy in her room, Feliciano made his own preparations. Erika was obviously a lost cause, but Fia was still his. They would move as fast as they could to Milan. There, they would disappear for a while, keep on the move, until he could arrange for a new safehouse. And unlike Erika, Fia would be a good girl. She wouldn't ask questions or try to talk to anyone else...

He looked up when Fia appeared in his doorway, looking unsettled. "I'm packed, Mama."

"Good, good. So am I. Let's go, bambina." He stood and shrugged on his jacket, then his backpack, helping the girl with her own coat and bag, then taking her hand and leading her outside. They had just started down the road at a brisk pace when Fia couldn't contain herself anymore.

"Mama, where are we going? Why are we going? Why was the laptop broken on my floor?" Silence dragged on between them, making Fia more and more anxious with each passing second. Finally, she gathered up the courage to ask her last question.

"Mama, where's Erika?"

Finally, Feliciano decided to answer.

"Fia, remember what I said about questions? Now be a good girl for Mama and just be quiet." Fia bit her lip, a sense of dread creeping over her as what had sounded suspiciously like her sister's screams replayed in her head.

What was going on?

ooooo

Ludwig and Lovino jerked awake at the same time, both gasping.

"WEST, SHORTIE, GET YOUR ASSES OUT OF BED NOW. DO I NEED THE OTHER BUCKET?"

"FUCK YOU, ARSELOCH!" Ludwig yelled back, glaring at his brother as the elder tossed aside his now empty bucket, the contents of which (ice water) had been dumped onto the couple. "What the hell was that for?!"

Gilbert pulled out his laptop, flicking open the things he wanted his brother to see. "I found them."

Ludwig and Lovino froze. "Where?" Lovino demanded, the first word he had said all week, life slowly coming back to his dimmed eyes for the first time in years. Gilbert handed his laptop to them, the parents pouring over the conversation with Erika and what Gilbert had managed to dig up.

"It took a few hours thanks to her lack of details, but I was eventually able to find several isolated houses in a wooded valleys in the Apeninne Mountains with the help of Google Maps. Some of them turned out to be abandoned or owned legitimately. But there was one that didn't check out. There was no official record of any kind, and as far as I can tell, none of the inhabitants of the nearby villages even know it's there, and most of them steer clear because people tend to disappear in that particular valley. If I still had land to bet, I'd bet it on that place. If we get moving right now, I bet the six of us could take that palace down and have the twins out of there and home in time for dinner and a beer."

The blonde and brunette blinked, slowly attempting to process all of that. Finally, Ludwig stuttered out, "W-when...?"

"Just yesterday evening. I've been up all night," Gilbert explained.

"Six...?"

"You, Shortie, Franny, Toni, Matt, and me. Now get up, Matt's making coffee and Toni's booking tickets for the next plane to Milan. You guys want to look like that when you see your daughters for the first time in fifty years?"

They exchanged looks.

The bedroom was suddenly a flurry of activity, Lovino kicking Gilbert out of the room with a vitality he hadn't had in decades so they could change. Ten minutes later, freshly showered/shaved/dressed, they emerged and gratefully accepted coffee, taking rushed gulps as they tore through their various... 'emergency supplies', arming themselves to the teeth.

Time to get their daughters back.

ooooo

Erika fell what felt like several meters before her fall was broken. Instead of the hard floor she had been expecting, however, she landed on something... softer. Softer, but for some reason, pointer in places, and in others, squishy or lumpy.

Then the smell hit.

Vomit surged up her throat, a quiet, ancient sounding voice in her head easily identifying it. She swiftly rolled off the pile, disgust and horror welling up in her as she realized what it was. Trembling, she crouched against the wall, her head and eyes beginning to hurt from straining to see anything in the all-encompassing pitch black, her ears ringing with the dead silence. Her hand came up to cover her mouth and nose, tears streaming down her face as she tried desperately not to think about the various fluids and miscellaneous bits now coating her back.

Suddenly she was regretting all those horror stories.

She flinched and covered her ears when the screaming started. For a minute she was even more terrified; where was the screaming coming from?!

_Oh. That's me._

Even the realization that it was herself screaming didn't help- the wordless sounds just kept echoing and growing in the confined space, no indication that anyone but herself could hear it. After a while, she had no idea how long, she trailed off, her throat sore, dissolving into hysterical tears instead. If anyone else had been here to see her, she might have been ashamed of the weakness she was displaying- after all, she was only a little bruised from where Zio Feli had grabbed her, she wasn't even hurt from the fall. But she wasn't worried.

After all, corpses are great at keeping secrets.

* * *

Translations:

Arseloch = Asshole


	13. Chapter 12

ErikaDestler: Meh, cut him some slack, he was in a rush.

5star101: I was wondering when you'd comment again! And yes, Lovino and Ludwig are going, don't you worry about that!

KawaiiYakuza: You're welcome, and have another update!

* * *

The plane ride was tense, all six of them restlessly shifting with excess energy. Once they were finally out of the airborne tin can and had piled into a van Gilbert rented, the tension followed; Ludwig was chain-smoking, his hands restlessly checking over all his weapons every five minutes. Lovino, Antonio, and Francis sat in the very back together, each quietly praying in his own way. Gilbert kept his eyes glued to the road as he drove, tension humming through his whole body, his knuckles white with their grip on the steering wheel. Only Matthew appeared calm, his expression relaxed and composed, but the coin he continuously rolled over his fingers said otherwise.

"This better work."

Garnet eyes flicked to the serene face of his lover, the murmured words too quiet for any but himself to hear, even in the silence. Matthew's calm was soothing, relaxing Gilbert's shoulders the slightest bit. "Why?" he replied, speaking just as softly.

The Canadian sighed before stating matter-of-factly, "Because if it doesn't and they disappear again, it'll kill them this time."

Gilbert swallowed, unsure how to respond to that. One hand let go of the wheel, blindly grabbing Matthew's and squeezing tightly as he looked into the rear-view mirror, his brother's face stony but clearly brittle. Lovino was no better, the Italian looking gaunt instead of just small, whispering prayers for protection and blessings to the dark beads of his ancient rosary.

All Gilbert could do was send up his own prayer that this wouldn't end badly.

ooooo

The van stopped about five miles from the house. As the sneakiest and best versed in reconnaissance, Matthew and Francis disappeared into the forest, scouting out the surrounding forest, then the house itself. They returned not ten minutes later.

"The place appears to be deserted," Francis reported. "Still, it does look like people were here very recently. They may be hiding." Ludwig nodded, having taken command of the mission, and led them to the house, the six of them forming a circle around it, all on high alert. Who knew what the hell was waiting for them here.

The front and back doors shattered under the force of the German brothers' boots, but all that greeted them was dead silence. Every room was overturned, but they found no one.

Lovino paused in what was apparently the girls' room. He ignored the shattered laptop, going to stand at the side of one of the beds instead. With a shaky hand, he reached out and picked up a small, soft toy. A ragdoll wearing a familiar, if a little more worn, plain white dress.

Greta.

Ludwig found him several minutes later, just standing there, blank-faced as he stroked the doll's cloth face. A lump formed in the German's throat. Finally, without a word, he walked over to his spouse, gently wrapping his arms around the other's thin frame as Lovino began to shake.

"Th-they were here," he whispered. "They were just fucking here... I-if we had just b-been a little sooner... we might have g-gotten them..." Taking a deep breath as tears began to roll down his face, Lovino began to sob.

Swallowing, Ludwig turned his lover around and brushed limp teak hair from his face, cupping his jaw in his hand. "At least we know they were here," he soothed in a whisper, leaning their foreheads together. "We're one step closer to having them back today."

The tender moment was lost when Antonio skidded to a stop in the doorway. "We found something!"

ooooo

Erika had no idea how long she had been in this hell. There was no light here, no sound, nothing she might measure the passing seconds with.

A few minutes?

An hour?

A year?

Who knew. She refused to move, terrified of touching another body. A small part of her wondered if it would be worse to touch, a fresher one or a skeleton, but the rest of her was desperately trying to pretend she was somewhere else, that this was all a terrible nightmare. The terrible smell had lessened after a while as she got used to it, making pretending much easier.

Closing her eyes (though there was absolutely no difference), Erika remembered a game that Onkel Gilbert had taught her and her cousins one Christmas when she was seven that he had called "I Remember". They would each take a turn telling a memory- a good memory. He had said it helped to cement the good things about their lives in their minds- it was also a great opportunity to share funny stories about friends and family. Onkel Gilbert had really liked to tell silly memories that made their subjects flush with embarrassment.

Smiling slightly, she began to talk aloud, desperate for the sound. "I remember nights when Fia and I would climb into each others beds, whispering and giggling for hours." She swallowed. "I remember Zio Feli's pasta. I remember picking wild blueberries and strawberries from the patches in the woods. I remember h-helping Zio Feli in his garden. I-I remember exploring the woods, and finding that little pond that Fi and I would swim in in the summer... I remember talking to Onkel Gilbert for the first time in fifty years." She gave a hysterical little laugh. "And I remember the Christmas markets! Th-they were always better at night, even though it was colder, but the lights would light up and the hot apple cider and cocoa warmed you up... and there was all kinds of sweets, and Papa would buy us one of each, and always get two chocolate apples for himself... and there was music and dancing and toys, and Mama would let us pick out one thing for ourselves as a treat every time we went if we had been good..."

Erika had no idea how long she talked, but she kept going, the sound of her own shaky voice helping to stem her rising anxiety. At one point, she even imagined the corpses around her silently leaning in to listen to her like children gathered around a storyteller, greedily drinking in her halting, rambling stories, her descriptions of sunlight and laughter exotic and foreign in this place of eternal dark.

The creaking of the trapdoor above drew a shriek of surprise and fear from her lips, already shut eyes squeezing even tighter as she curled up in a ball. Her heart pounded uncontrollably, a cold sweat breaking out on her skin.

"Hello!"

Her eyes snapped open again. Exhilaration swept through her.

That was Uncle Matt's voice.

"U-Uncle M-M-Matt?" she sobbed out, tears of relief this time streaming down her cheeks, keeping her eyes trained on the square of brilliant light above. She didn't want to see the place she had been dwelling for God knew how long.

"ERIKA!" another voice bellowed.

"PAPA!" she replied.

"Oh Dio... Eri, stay where you are Grattina, Papa's coming to get you," the slightly halting but still soothing voice of her Mama, her real Mama, coming through this time.

She nodded with a soft whimper, pleading, "H-hurry Papa..."

A rope fell down the hole as Ludwig called down, "I'm coming, Leibling, just hold on..." A second later, two booted feet and black-clad legs appeared in the square, and then, the rest of him came, a belt of some kind around his waist and attached to the rope allowing him to slide quickly down it, his hands controlling his fall.

He was thinner than she remembered. Thinner and more tired looking. His hair was a little longer, there were shadows under his eyes, and his usually confident face was more scared and relieved then she could ever remember. Wordlessly, she held out her hands, silently begging for a hug. The instant his boots hit solid ground, he fell to his knees, holding his arms out to receive Erika, whom had jumped up and bolted to him, throwing herself into his embrace.

His arms were just as strong and warm as she remembered.

Erika sobbed freely into his shirt, burying her face in his shoulder and wrapping her arms tight around his neck. Ludwig held her just as tight, burying his face in her hair, stroking the curly locks and whispering to her in German, gently rocking them both. When he ran out of words, he began to quietly sing instead. "_Auf der Heide blüht ein kleines Blümeleine._.."

When both had calmed somewhat, Ludwig stood, easily lifting Erika and holding her against his chest, going back to the rope and getting a firm hold on it with one hand before calling, "Pull us up!" The others above pulled him up, hauling him to the top. Once they were there, Lovino dropped his portion of the rope and dashed to his husband's side, light, flitting hands stroking the blonde's burden. Erika finally lifted her tear stained face, smiling weakly at her mother. Lovino wrapped his own arms around her, crying as well as he showered her with kisses, babbling in rapid Italian.

They had found her.

* * *

Translations:

Grattina = little cat


	14. Chapter 13

Anon: Thank you!

Eu: I know... I cried writing it.

Berlin: Thanks so much! And that's exactly what I was aiming for with Feli, so... yay?

grapejuice: Nice to know I've helped bring someone else into the fold!

Note: Ohmehgerd, I am so sorry this has taken so long...

* * *

When it became apparent that Erika was the only one there, the makeshift rescue team gathered in the sitting room of the little house to come up with their next course of action. Erika sat curled up in her mother's lap, Greta in one arm, her other hand clutching her mother's shirt, the Italian fawning over her and cooing soft Italian so her father could concentrate on the conversation.

"Any clues as to where Fia might be?" Ludwig asked tensely.

Gilbert regretfully shook his head. "Sorry, Bruder. Not a trace."

Suddenly, Matthew spoke. "Erika, sweetheart?" When the girl looked at him, he asked gently, "Was Fia still here when Feliciano put you in that place?"

Hesitantly, she nodded.

Matthew nodded. "Okay. Do you remember when he did it?"

"A-around four, I think?" she shrugged. "On the 12th."

The Canadian smiled encouragingly. "Did Feli ever talk about any friends of his that he might go to for help? A safe place he might take you or your sister?"

The blonde shrugged. "N-Not really... I-I mean, there was this one g-guy, Giovanni I th-think? He ran Zio's business for him, so they would talk on the phone or through e-mail sometimes..."

"Giovanni D'Anna?" Lovino provided, surprise in his eyes. She nodded.

Matthew smiled, lightly patting her head. "Thank you, sweetie. That's all very helpful." He turned back to the assembled adults, summarizing, "They've had a maximum of 19 hours travel time, maybe heading to Milan. It's somewhere to start, at least. Either way, we need to get going now."

Ludwig nodded, standing. "Gilbert, Matthew, Antonio, with me. Francis, Lovino, take Erika somewhere safe."

"Oh hell no! No no no no!" his Italian spouse objected. "I'm with you, bastard, whether you like it or not. Fia's my daughter too." The German looked like he was going to argue for a minute, but gave in and nodded. Lovino turned to Matthew, reluctantly pressing his younger daughter into his best friend's hands. "Protect her," he murmured. Matthew nodded solemnly, cradling the young Nation to his chest.

"We'll take her to the Vatican," he assured his friend. "Nothing can harm her there."

Lovino nodded, pulling out his cellphone. "I'll call up an escort and guard detail." Mafioso were called, guards and a car ordered. When they arrived, Lovino and Ludwig reluctantly hugged Erika tight and promised they'd see her again soon, Lovino leaving strict orders with the human Mafioso that she was to be taken straight to Rome. As they watched the car drive off, Lovino gripped his husband's hand tightly, swallowing thickly. He knew Matthew could be trusted at least, and the Canadian would keep her safe, but it was still hard to watch Erika get farther and farther away when they had only just found her again. Ludwig's grip in return made it obvious he felt the same.

Still, it couldn't be helped. There was still unfinished business.

Lovino hated unfinished business.

ooooo

"- and then the girl says, 'But Papa, that's my boyfriend!'" The large, sturdy man in the driver's seat erupted into hearty laughter at his own story, Marco nervously chuckling along. It hadn't actually been that funny, but it felt good to laugh at something. The man, Costa, looked at him, lightly punching his shoulder. "Hey, kid, relax. This isn't dangerous, we're just doing a casual sweep for a little girl and a single man. It's a good starter job. You'll do fine."

The twenty year old gave his older partner a grateful look, looking back out the window. The car pulled to a easy stop at a stoplight, Marco scanning the crowds rushing past. Suddenly, he jolted, snapping urgently, "What were those two supposed to look like?" Costa pulled a picture from his pocket, handing it to the younger man. He merely glanced between the picture and what he was looking at outside before exclaiming, "That's them!" pointing at a bench on the sidewalk.

Costa swore softly under his breath. "Nice catch, kid. C'mon."

ooooo

Fia stumbled along after Feliciano, weariness making her eyelids heavy and legs sluggish, only the older Italian's grip on her hand keeping her moving forward.

"Mama... I'm tired..." she whimpered. They had been walking for hours, ever since they had left that van they had hitched a ride in a few miles outside Milan. She was pretty sure they had circled the entire city twice now.

Toffee eyes turned to her, Feliciano slowing his pace slightly and softly rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. "I know, bambina. Just a little longer, ve? Then we can check into a hotel and..." he trailed off at her exhausted look, glancing around. "Here, why don't we sit down for a minute?" He lead her to a bench, letting the girl sit and rest for a while.

Not five minutes later, a black, plain car pulled up to the sidewalk beside them, two men getting out- one a huge brick wall of a man in a plain button-up, sport jacket and slacks, the other a slender young man dressed the same.

"Feliciano Vargas, come with us please," the large man said, his tone leaving no room for argument, the younger one opening the back door of the car.

Golden eyes narrowed.

"Fia, close your eyes for a minute, bambina," Feliciano said softly, the girl obeying. The second her eyes closed, she jumped with a small scream, eyes snapping open again at the sound of two rapid gunshots. She couldn't see the big man anymore, and the smaller one lay unmoving on the sidewalk, blood pooling around him. People around them started screaming, a few pulling out cell phones. Ignoring them, Feliciano calmly but quickly picked the petrified Fia up and carried her to the car, putting her in the back seat and then getting into the driver's. The car was still on, Feli simply putting it in drive and driving away like nothing had happened.

Fia couldn't help looking back out the back window, catching a glimpse of the two men laying bloody in the street and a pistol on the bench they had been sitting on before Feli turned the corner and it was all out of sight.

Shaking, with eyes wide as saucers, Fia slowly turned and sat down, mind desperately trying to process the last three minutes.

Feliciano glanced at her in the rear-view mirror, concern in his eyes at her clearly upset state. "Don't worry, bambina," he said soothingly. "I won't let them take you away from me, ve. I'll kill them all if I have to to keep you." He paused, waiting until the next stoplight to turn and look Fia in the eye. "I love you more than anything in the whole wide world, mio bambina."

Fia couldn't help it. She shivered slightly at the raw, possessive look of obsessive devotion in her uncle's eyes. Suddenly, she was more scared than she could ever remember being. Still, she forced a small smile in return on her own face, murmuring back, "I love you too, Mama."

ooooo

The van was tense again, though less tense than before. Now the air seemed more anxious to Lovino, the Italian restlessly rolling the beads of his ancient rosary between his fingers. The beads had been rough once, when he had gotten it, but centuries of use had worn down the wood to the point where the mahogany beads were glass-smooth and the details of the Jesus on the crucifix had been worn off.

Everyone jumped when Lovino's cellphone began to ring, the brunette's hand darting into his pocket to retrieve it and silence the noise.

"Si?" he snapped into the phone. After a few minutes, he said, "Gratzie." He paused, hesitating a moment before adding, "Invia le mie condoglianze alle loro famiglie. Dì loro madri che sono sempre in debito con i loro figli. Hanno avuto un ruolo a tornare mio figlio a me, in quanto tali, non sono mai in grado di esprimere i miei ringraziamenti a sufficienza." With that, he snapped the phone closed, announcing, "He's definitely in Milan. We need to hurry before he disappears again."

Gilbert nodded, speeding up the van.

ooooo

The motel room was shabby but clean. Fia didn't really notice much beyond that, immediately going to one of the twin beds and curling up in a ball on it. Feliciano sent her a sympathetic look, dropping both of the bags they had brought by the door and going to sit next to her. "Poor bambina," he sighed, gently petting her hair. "It's been a long, rough day, ve. Mama's gonna go take a shower, ve, then we'll order a pizza, okay?" He smiled and kissed her forehead when she nodded, going to take his shower.

Fia laid there for several minutes just listening to the running water, struggling to come to terms with the last twenty hours of her life. She had been dragged from her home for reasons that were unclear. They were apparently being hunted by someone. Her uncle had straight-up murdered two people for no reason she could decipher. And God knew where her sister was...

As he showered, Fia grabbed the remote for the ancient TV set in the corner, aimlessly flipping through the channels until she came across a news station, the picture displayed to the right of the pretty reporter woman making her pause.

It was a picture of herself.

_"- official police sources are saying this girl, Fia Beilshmidt-Vargas, was taken from her home in Rome early yesterday afternoon by her uncle, Feliciano Vargas-" a picture of Feliciano was put up next to her own picture, "and may have been brought to Milan. When we contacted her family, her uncle Matthew Williams had this to say."_

Suddenly a recording of Uncle Matt's voice came on. _"We're all so worried about Fia- please, if anyone can, please help us bring her home."_

_"Uncle Matt, where's my sister?"_ Erika's voice suddenly butted in. _"Where's Fia?"_

The reporter woman shook her head solemnly as the recording ended. _"Any and all sightings of either should be reported immediately to the police. Now for the weather."_

Fia looked toward the closed bathroom door, swallowing thickly as she listened to the water shut off.

She needed to get out of here. Now.

Quietly as she could, Fia slid off her bed, tip-toeing to the door of the room.

"Where do you think you're going, ve?"

* * *

Translations:

Si? = Yes?

Gratzie = Thank you

Invia le mie condoglianze alle loro famiglie. Dì loro madri che sono sempre in debito con i loro figli. Hanno avuto un ruolo a tornare mio figlio a me, in quanto tali, non sono mai in grado di esprimere i miei ringraziamenti a sufficienza. = Send my condolences to their families. Tell their mothers that I am forever in their sons' debt. They have played a part in returning my child to me, as as such, I can never express my thanks enough.


	15. Chapter 14

Oh. My. Sweet. Jelly. Belly. Jesus.

I am _so_ sorry this took so long. Really. Feel free to pelt me with whatever you want.

* * *

Fia's hearbeat pounded in her ears as azure locked with amber.

"Um... I was... gonna go look for a vending machine..." she lied in a small voice.

Feliciano smiled, but his eyes didn't lighten. "Oh, ve. Well, there's no vending machines out there. Why don't you just wait for the pizza if you're hungry?"

Fia swallowed thickly, forcing a smile back on her face. "Ok, Mama." She slowly walked back to sit on the bed, feeling Feliciano's intense stare on her even as she listened to him order the pizza he had promised. When he hung up, he came to sit next to her, watching the inane cartoon she had switched it to with her.

"I only heard a little of the news, ve," he suddenly mentioned offhand,wrapping an arm around her. Any other time, it might have been comforting. Now it felt constraining to the brunette. Threatening. "Something about a kidnapping...?"

She nodded stiffly. "Yeah, some kid got snatched out of her house. They say it was her uncle."

"Ve, how terrible!" Feliciano gasped, his grip tightening slightly. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you, mio bambina..." his voice hardened slightly. "Or if you ran away."

Blue eyes widened the slightest bit.

She tried to bolt, but the thin arm around her was much stronger than it seemed. The girl struggled in her uncle's hold, the older holding her in place until she landed a solid kick to his stomach, the Italian Nation surprised enough to reflexively let her go with a grunt. She scrambled towards the door, adrenaline flooding her system and narrowing her field of vision to the door. She only managed to get a few steps before her arm was grabbed, throwing her balance off enough to send her to the floor.

Pain radiated from her elbow, but Fia didn't notice, the girl flipping onto her back and coming face-to-face with the rage-filled face of her uncle. Her breath caught in her throat, eyes widening at the towering form of Feliciano, terror finally bursting into full bloom in her chest.

Panicking, her hands swept the area on either side of her as she crawled backward, desperately trying to find some kind of weapon as Feliciano began to mutter and snarl under his breath, hands balling into fists and stalking closer to her.

Her hand closed around the strap of a backpack.

With a strength she didn't know she had, Fia swung the bag in an arc to connect solidly with the side of Feliciano's head, knocking him to the side with a surprised noise. Nearly hyperventilating, blue eyes snapped to the carpet to her left when she heard the thump of something falling to the floor.

A gun.

She automatically snatched it, quickly double-checking to make sure it was loaded. Papa had stated teaching her and her sister about guns and how to use them about a year before they left, and Fia still remembered it all. Cocking the weapon, she pointed it at her uncle's chest, still shaking slightly. Feliciano paused.

"You wouldn't shoot your Mama, ve, would you bambina?" he cooed, sickly sweet.

"I-I would," she stammered, sliding her finger inside the trigger guard. "Why are we here, Mama? Where's Erika? Why did you shoot those people?! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

A few minutes of tense silence passed. "You're _mine_. You and your sister were supposed to be mine. But little Eri decided she wasn't going to be a good girl anymore, ve. Now I have to do what I have to do to keep you, mio bella bambina," he replied vaguely. "Come, I know we're both upset, but put the gun down and we'll forget all about it, okay...?"

Fia shook her head no. "Answer. My. Questions," she insisted.

The Italian Nation huffed a sigh. "Fine, ve. _I_ was your Papa's love first. But then my brother stole him from me, and they had you and your sister, ve. I should have been your Mama. So I stole you both away so I could be." He smiled softly. "And we've been happy, haven't we, ve?"

Tears began to stream down Fia's cheeks. "You kidnapped us?" she whispered.

Feliciano nodded.

"... the phone call?"

"Faked. Actor who owed me a favor," Feliciano shrugged. "It was a cruel way to do it, I suppose, ve, but it provided the cleanest cut. It made you forget, and be happy with me!" He smiled, a twisted facsimile of his usual smiles. It might have looked real if he closed his eyes.

Fia shook her head no, the tears stronger than ever. "No. We were never happy. We pretended to deal with the hurt. You were a replacement, Zio Feli. Nothing more."

The smile disappeared, replaced by a hard glare and sneer.

He lunged with a wordless cry of rage.

BANG.

ooooo

Sirens were blaring when the van skidded to a stop in the parking lot of the motel, Lovino and Ludwig bolting out of it before the vehicle had actually stopped moving.

"FIA!" Lovino shouted, Ludwig's roar right behind his. They fought their way through the crowd of onlookers and media and various officials, completely ignoring the yellow tape that was supposed to keep them back. A police officer came up to them, demanding to know who they were.

"Her parents!" Lovino snapped, practically spitting hellfire, the officer's eyes widening.

"O-oh... well, right this way then..." she stammered, leading them into the motel room.

There, sitting beside an officer that was rubbing her back and talking softly with another that crouched in front of her wearing a medic jacket, was Fia.

"Fia!" The southern Italian choked out.

Baby blue eyes snapped to the two figures in the doorway, widening dramatically. In a second, she had surged up from the bed, sprinting into the waiting arms of her parents. Lovino colapsed to his knees to catch her, kissing her face, Ludwig managing to scoop them both up and carry them back to the van, slamming the door shut in the faces of the people outside.

Without needing to be told, Gilbert rolled down his window and shouted, "For all answers to your questions, interviews, whatever, call 979-5993." Without further ado, he sped off. A quick glance in the rear-view mirror made a smile burst from his lips.

Ludwig knelt on the floor of the van, Lovino sat on the seat Ludwig knelt before. Fia was on Lovino's lap, trying her damnedest to somehow permanently fuse Ludwig's shirt into her grip and snuggle so hard into Lovino's chest that only the Jaws of Life could pry her from it. Both her parents were fawning over the girl, whispering soothing sweet things in German and Italian, all three crying.

As the Prussian eased his way onto the highway headed toward Rome, all he could do was send silent prayers.

_Thank you, God. Now maybe they can heal._


	16. Chapter 15

Well, this is it. The ending. *tosses handful of confetti in the air*

I'm so sorry this took so long. Life just kind of kicked me in the teeth about April, and yeah... I don't really like how I've ended this, but whatever. I'm considering making a little extra epilogue that details what exactly happens to Feliciano, but I may not get around to it.

Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

The TV droned on, Matthew and Erika silently watching without really absorbing the program. Villa Silvia was mostly silent, only the TV and the sounds of Francis working in the kitchen disturbing it.

Matthew was on his feet and in a defensive pose in a second when he heard the doorknob on the front door turn, Erika instantly ducking behind him. Noise from the kitchen ceased, indicating Francis had heard too, but he didn't appear.

Finally, the door swung open, revealing Ludwig and Lovino, Fia cradled in the brunette's arms. The Canadian relaxed, a relieved smile finding his face at the sight of his friends and their daughter. Erika sprinted to her parents with a soft, wordless cry, Ludwig easily picking her up again and cradling her in the crook of one arm, his other wrapped around Lovino's waist to keep his husband and elder daughter close as well. Paying no attention to Matthew, The German somehow managed to steer them into the living room to collapse in a heap together on a couch, whispers and tears and kisses flowing freely between the four.

Matthew's smile widened, the blonde turning off the TV and leaving them alone.

In the entryway, he found Gilbert and Antonio quietly talking with Francis, presumably updating the Frenchman on what he had missed. He caught the eye of his husband, the Prussian smiling exhaustedly at him.

"How are they?" Gilbert asked.

"Resting. They'll be fine," Matthew informed them.

"The police will be here soon, I think," Antonio added. "We did take the victim from a crime scene without a word."

He was right, two police officers showing up less than a half hour later. Francis and Antonio easily fielded their questions in flawless Italian, making sure to give easily backed up or covered up lies when they had to.

"Did you get Feliciano?" Matthew asked tensely after a while, his Italian a little rustier but not anything noticeable.

The senior officer shook her head reluctantly. "No. Sorry. He was apparently badly injured, but he ran as officers arrived on the scene. We're currently looking for him."

Matthew nodded, though he knew they wouldn't find anything. If Feliciano didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be. It was only chance that the twins sat in the living room now. Still, he faked a tired but grateful smile. When the officers finally left, the four Nations wordlessly took up guard positions around the family.

They stayed there all night.

ooooo

The thin dirt road was clogged with vehicles, mostly police, but there were a few others there too. Police officers swarmed through the small house, tearing it apart, but there was nothing that might indicate whom had lived there. No photos, no cell phones, no identifying documents, no useful DNA, and the computer was destroyed.

However, there was plenty under the house to keep them occupied.

"Chief, look!"

Police Chief Aldo Orlano jogged from his parked car to the head officer on the scene, Lucia Demasi, barking, "What's happened here?"

Lucia shook her head, her normally bubbly expression replaced with a grave one. The one she normally reserved for the really terrible murders. "We got an anonymous call several hours ago. Nothing but this address and a warning that there was disturbing things here. Couple officers came out, looked into it. There's... there appears to be a large underground basement, accessed by a trapdoor in the kitchen."

Orlano raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"The basement was filled with bodies."

ooooo

Over the rest of the day, they removed the remains of over eighty people of various descriptions. The following months found the corpses went back over fifty years, and nearly all of them were identified as missing persons that had just disappeared over the decades in the area. All were killed in a clean, business like fashion, no signs of torture or anything else. No common factor between the victims besides where they were when they disappeared and their deaths.

The killer- and his motivation- was never found.

The house was left to rot.


End file.
